Here's the Pencil, Make It Work
by Blueberry and Blacktooth
Summary: Inside your head the sound of glass, a car crash sound as the trucks roll over and explode in slow motion. That car crash was my life, spinning, spinning out of control with no way for me to stop it. I blamed Lucianna. Edward/OC
1. Chapter 1

**Hello Friends!**

 **Welcome to the new and improved Chasing Pavements! Or as its now called - Here's the Pencil, Make it Work.**

 **I stole the title and the first line of the summary from Richard Silken's amazing poem, "Litany, in Which Certain Things Are Crossed Out". You should check it out, its one of my favorites.**

 **I figured the title was fitting because this is a story about an OC given the opportunity to really rewrite the Twilight story in whichever way she wants to really, kind of like being given a blank book and a pencil, and being told to write whatever she wants.**

 **Lots of changes from the original (such as much better writing), but the overall plot is still the same. I hope you guys like it and its received well. No worries, the original will be finished, I haven't abandoned it, though I can't say when I'll be posting the last chapter, however I** _ **can**_ **say with certainty that Chapter 2 will be posted either today or tomorrow at the latest.**

 **Constructive criticism is very much welcome.**

 _ **Especially**_ **welcome.**

 **Review?**

* * *

"So how did it go?"

"As well as it could've." I answered with a shrug. I felt heavy eyes on me, but ignored them in favour of calmly chopping the carrot I was working on for dinner.

Lucianna sighed and flopped herself down on one of the kitchen stools by the counter, folding her arms and leaning forward to give me an intent look with her piercing green eyes. "So mostly positive?" She inquired, sounding vaguely hopeful, but I gave another shrug.

"My dosage has been lowered, if that can be called positive." I answered, using the knife to slide the carrot slices from the chopping board into a bowl.

My best-friend made a thoughtful sound in the back of her throat, "That's good." She decided eventually, before giving me a giant smile. "I'm proud of you."

I couldn't help but return the smile, though mine was much more toned down than hers was. "Thank you." I said genuinely, moving to the fridge and extracting out a can of fresh cream.

As I closed it, I remembered my psychologist's advice, " _Keeping yourself surrounded by good vibes is the most important thing."_ She'd told me as she took notes on her clipboard, and I had no doubt that with Lucianna around to encourage me, I'd slowly but surely be able to stand on my feet again.

Lucy was a God-send, and she had no idea just how much her friendship meant to me. Even in my darkest moments, she was always there to hold me up and support me, and for that I'd be eternally grateful.

It was for that exact reason that I was currently making her favorite food for dinner, because my psyche results wouldn't be so positive if it wasn't for her.

"When is your next appointment?" She asked, twirling red strands of hair around her finger. This time, my smile was uncontrolled.

"In two weeks." I told her, pouring in the cream on the veggies that had been lightly frying in the pot. To any other person, the statement wouldn't mean much, but having my sessions moved from once every week to once every fortnight was a victory that I wouldn't have even imagined six months ago.

"I think we should celebrate this, you've done so good!" She praised, clapping her hands delightedly. I snorted, mixing the contents of the pot and adding in the carrots.

"I'm just glad everyone will get off my back a little." I said honestly, covering it and walking to the sink.

Lucy gave me a frown of disapproval, "Can you blame them, Arsinoë? We were all worried. You were at the doors of death -literally." She said grimly.

Immediately, her words made my shoulders slump and I rubbed my arm self-consciously. I realized that while I hadn't been very...stable, it hadn't been _that_ bad. I was just in a bad place, and not doing so well, but I _hadn't_ been suicidal.

 _Yet_ , a voice deep within me whispered.

She sighed, "Well, all that's done now. The most important thing is that you're okay." Her tone wasn't as light as it had previously been, but she forced a smile, "I propose a Twilight marathon in celebration"

I grimaced, "Really?" I huffed with a playful eyeroll. I forced myself to go back to normal, to not let my solemn thoughts affect my mood.

 _Good vibes._

The redhead laughed, "Yes!" She exclaimed easily, "We can swoon over Edward and insult Bella over good food and ice-cream. It's perfect." She stated with an air of finality that dictated I'd have no choice in the decision. I giggled at the prospect, already imagining her angry insults at the Heroine, made all the more amusing because of the fact that her already heavy native Irish accent only deepened when she was miffed.

Lucianna absolutely _loathed_ Bella Swan with a passion that was almost scary. According to my best-friend, the girl was an insult to Feminists everywhere, not to mention a selfish immature girl who only cared for herself. Honestly, I did agree, but I was mostly removed from the whole Twilight fandom altogether. I'd read the books at Lucy's incessant whining for me to do it, and while I did enjoy them, they didn't leave any long-standing impression. The secondary characters were all interesting, as well as their world as a whole, but considering it was all about Bella, they hadn't been shown much and thus I hadn't become very invested.

To be sure, like most females out there, I'd fallen for the charms of Edward Cullen and his whole persona, and attractiveness aside, he /was/ an interesting character, one of my favorites really. Nonetheless, I wasn't a die-hard fan like my best friend was.

"Watching that series isn't good for your blood pressure." I warned her, setting up the rice cooker.

She shrugged, "What's life without a little risk?" She asked, a red brow raised at me, and I snorted.

So it was decided then, and a little while later found us tangled together on my couch, a blanket on our laps and a shared bowl of dinner between us as we watched little Bella Swan leave her home nest for dreary old forks.

"Do you ever wonder if she had family, like aside from the members mentioned in the books?" I asked Lucy, spooning some vegetables for myself.

My best-friend hummed thoughtfully, "I've never really thought about it, but now that you mention it...Is it really possible for both of her parents to not have at least some extended family? How were they _that_ secluded?" She asked.

I chewed thoughtfully, watching as the character in question hugged her mother farewell, "Its weird isn't it? Just how little we know of the main protagonist. I think I'd have liked her more if I actually knew a little about her, but she's kind of just a blank slate."

Lucy nodded as she nibbled on a chicken strip. "That's my problem with her mostly, how utterly _boring_ she is. It gets boring after a while really."

"In her defense, she's a lot better in the books. I think the directors just didn't know how to deal with her." I said, gesturing to the brown haired girl on the screen pointedly, but all my Lucy did was shake her head.

"There's only so much one can do when given a half-dead teenage girl and told to bring her to life." She drawled, rolling her eyes. I snorted, taking some chicken for myself.

"You're so mean."

"I'm not! _Anyone_ would be better than bloody Isabella Swan, heck, even _Lauren_. At least _she_ has some personality." The red-head stressed, waving a tattooed hand in my face passionately.

Carefully I caught it before it could wack me in the face and potentially knock me out. "You're biased." I declared with a huff of amusement, shifting the precariously balanced dish on our legs. "Lauren is one of your favorite characters in the series, of course your think she'd be better."

"Okay, well, how about you?" Lucy proposed, and both brows rose.

"I think I'd be much worse, Lucy." I said slowly, because at least Bella was a fully functioning human being most days it took all my efforts to get out of bed in the morning.

But clearly the green eyed girl next to me disagreed, judging by the way she shook her head and made a sound of protest, "Definitely not. In fact, I think you'd be perfect. You're smart, you're strong, you're kind, you're-"

"-a mess."

"You're _strong_." She repeated, glaring at me straight in the eye, just _daring_ me to disagree.

"Whatever you say, friend." Was my disbelieving answer, before I spooned some more rice for myself.

Beside me, Lucy had all but abandoned the food, making a thoughtful sound, spoon resting lightly on her chin. "I think Bella's life would be good for you." She said, and I almost choked on my food from laughter.

"You think enduring constant danger and heartache would be _good_ for me?" I asked once I'd swallowed, chuckling at thr absurdity of her words, but all Lucy did was scoff.

"I think _Edward_ would be good for you." She corrected, and I rolled my eyes, putting the food on the coffee table amd getting up, heading to the kitchen for the kitchen for something to drink.

"I'm serious!" She called, but I ignored her, extracting two bottles of pomegranate vitamin water from the fridge, and after a moment I also picked up my iPad from the counter.

I sat back down on the couch, opening one bottle and held the other out to her but she didn't notice. "He's so kind and charming and smart and-"

"-fake?"

"Can you not interrupt me?"

"Sorry."

"And he also needs a bit of help, I think." She finished reaching for the bowl of food again and I watched quietly sipping at my drink. "You'd be good for him." She declared, shoving rice into her mouth.

I doubted it, but in an attempt to keep the peace, I simply shrugged, "Sure, I guess." Was my noncommittal reply, "He's still a fictional character though, so in the end the point is -what's the English word?- moot."

"Now," I started, lifting my tablet so she could see, "I've got this paper I need help with and-"

"-Arsinoë?" She broke in, and I paused, blinking at her.

"Now you're the one interrupting me." I pointed out.

Lucy smiled, "Can I tell you a secret?" She asked, as if she hasn't heard me.

I gave her a wary look, because I didn't trust her expression, but she was still my best-friend, so after a moment I nodded. "You can tell me anything." I told her honestly.

Her smiled widened and her grass green eyes twinkled with mischief, "The point really _isn't_ moot."

* * *

The next thing I knew, I was standing in an only _vaguely_ familiar bedroom, a tablet in one hand and a bottle of vitamin water in another, with no idea, just how the _fuck_ I'd gotten here.

It was a nice enough room in itself, or well, more than just nice' really, if I was being honest. It looked like something out of a home décor magazine, as if an interior designer had come to work on it themselves. The walls were painted a lovely beige, the floors lain with big white square tiles with a plush rug at the foot of the fancily made king size bed with two bedside tables on each side, a stereo on one and a lamp on the other. The bed was situated directly across from a large redish-brown wardrobe and there was a double door made of flower patterned stained glass, which led to a medium sized balcony outside, and a desk and white leather chair were positioned a little ways away, obviously placed there to get the maximum amount of daylight.

But what got me the most were the framed photos hung on the walls, some in sepia, some in black and white, though most in color, and all depicting some point or another of my life. Most of them held pictures of me and my siblings (cousins really, but we were extremely close) together, in whichever country we happened to be in that moment, but there was one of me and my parents, a few others of a prepubescent me, one with me and my Aunt Zehira-

 _Oh_.

That's why the room was familiar, because this was the guest-bedroom of her house in Paris, except when I looked out the open balcony doors I didn't see Paris at all, but a serene looking green forest in our back yard.

For a long moment, I seriously entertained the ides that I was simply hallucinating (never mind the fact that I'd been well on the way to recovery and hadn't had a serious hallucination in almost half a year), and that I was actually still sitting next to Lucianna on the couch in my Dublin apartment, everything A-Okay.

But then a gust of wind blew in, the smell of rain and nature filling my nostrils and I faltered, because holy shit, this seemed _real_.

But _how_?

Just then, a familiar woman walked in, pulling a Pikachu patterned suitcase behind her - _my_ Pikachu patterned suitcase-, and she placed it at the foot of the bed, before giving me a hopeful look.

"Well, how do you like it?" She asked, gesturing with a slim hand around the room.

It was Nina, my aunt's personal assistant slash bodyguard slash girlfriend (though the last title was just suspicion and had never been confirmed). Nina was American, beautiful with short sunshine blond hair, bright blue eyes and naturally pouty lips. She'd been around for as long as I could remember, and at this point she was basically family herself. She'd always been there for me when I needed it, and never once let me feel neglected when she was around. For all her kindness, she was brutal though, and often took it upon herself to keep me (and my siblings if they were around) active whenever she had the chance. I didn't much mind it, because the type of medication bi took was also the type which side-effects included increased appetite and weight-gain, so even if she wasn't around, I still followed her rules.

"...Noë?" She called, brows furrowing when she noticed my inattention, and I jumped.

"Oh, uh, its great." I said quickly, only for her frown to deepen.

"If you don't like it, we can have it changed, you're the one who'll he staying here for the foreseeable future Noë, you should be comfortable." She told me, walking closer and laying her hands on my shoulders.

My mind blanked, because _what_?

What did she mean 'staying here'? And how long was the 'forseeable' future? Just what the hell was going on and who was responsible? Had I fallen asleep and was now dreaming?

But no, something told me that this was hard-cold reality, and all I could do was shake my head slowly.

"N-No, really, I love it." I forced out, before moving closer to give her three kisses on her cheeks automatically, " _Shukran_." I thanked in Arabic, hoping she'd accept it and relax.

Thankfully, her lips pulled into a smile, and she pulled me closer into a hug. It was all I could do to return it. "I love you, you know that right?"

I nodded numbly, and she gave me a kiss on the crown of my head, before stepping back. "Good." She said, "Now then, your aunt is on her way. She had a meeting in Seattle, trying to go over the details for a branch over there, but the traffic at this hour is _murder,_ so she might be a little late for dinner. Do you need help unpacking?" Nina asked in concern, and again I shook my head.

"Alright," she acquiesced, "I'll call you down when the food is ready." Her blue eyes shifted to my open balcony door.

"You might want to close that before you come down, it's always raining here in Forks." She advised, and with that, turned on her heel and walked out.

I staggered backwards, and just barely caught myself on the edge of the bed before falling over completely, the items in my hand falling and landing on the mattress with a light bounce, but I didn't even notice. My mind was too busy reeling.

 _Forks_? As in, _Forks, Washington?_

I felt like I was moments from passing out entirely, and I had to force myself to _breathe,_ lest I really did lose consciousness.

For the love of Ra, what in the world was going on? Had I really been sent all the way across the ocean in a blink of an eye? Where was Lucianna? Was _she_ the cause of this? I remembered her expression of mischief, and something told me that yes, yes she was. Somehow, someway, my best-friend had developed mystical powers and transported me to another place entirely.

The question now was _why_?

* * *

"Arsinoë, _habibi_ , how you've grown!" Was the first thing my aunt exclaimed upon seeing me, and before I knew it, I was engulfed in a back-breaking hug, three kisses main on my cheeks and one smack on my lips.

Aunty Zaho (as she insisted on being called), was my father's younger sister, a stunning woman with enchanting olive green eyes and flowing brown hair, graceful and strong, and was the role-model of many a modern woman. She _also_ just happened to be a world renowned fashion designer, and as a consequence was always jetting all over the place for some reason or the other. I hadn't seen her in a year and a half, so it was with genuine affection that I returned her hug.

I'd managed to pull myself together enough to function in public, and by the time Nina had called me down for food, I'd slid a mask in place and pretended that everything was perfectly alright. Pretending was something I was good at, so it was no trouble to simply smile and look normal.

"Oh, and you're absolutely gorgeous, just look at you!" She told me, forcefully turning me around to get a better look at me, and I caught sight of Nina grinning in amusement from her spot a few steps away. "My goodness, you'll be breaking hearts all around, mark my words." My aunt declared

I laughed, because yeah I was pretty enough, but certainly not to the point that she'd described. "Thank you, though I'll never be able to compete with you, Aunty." I answered, and she tittered happily.

"You're so good to me, _habibi_ ," she said. "How was your flight? It wasn't too long was it?" She asked worriedly, and I couldn't help but snort.

"Not long at all." I replied, and she linked our arms, nodding as she led us to the dining room.

"Did you thank Nina for picking you up from the airport? I wanted to do it myself, but unfortunately I had other things to do." She told me apologetically, sitting down at one of the chairs and pulling me down with her.

Before I could talk, the blonde in question intercepted, sitting across from me. "You don't have to thank me, Noë, it was a pleasure." She said and I smiled at her gratefully, even though it didn't actually happen. It was the thought that counted in the end, I supposed.

"Eat with me, Nina makes the best food, you know that." My aunt ordered, opening one of the dishes that were on the table.

"Oh no thank you, Aunty, we've already eaten." I replied, and as true as her statement was -because Nina really was a damn good cook- I was stuffed to the brim. I'd been eating with Lucy before I'd 'arrived' here, and to avoid Nina's concerned looks I had to eat a sizable portion as well, _plus_ desert.

My aunt frowned as she dished for herself, the smell of exotic spices rising up "Oh come now, not even a little?" She tried, and I shook my head.

"I think if she eats anymore, the poor girl might explode." Said Nina laughingly.

Aunty Zaho nodded in understanding, breaking off a piece of flat bread and scooping up some lentils with it. "Have you called your mother yet, to tell her you've arrived?" She asked, and I faltered.

They saw it, "Oh _habibi_ , I know you're angry with her, but she really is doing it for your own good." The olive eyed woman said, "I think it'll do you some good to stay here, get a breath of fresh air."

"It takes a bit of getting used to, but Forks can be a really nice place if you give it a chance." Nina chimed in, making my aunt nod in agreement.

"I'll call her soon." Was all I said, tapping my fingers on the table thoughtfully.. Regardless of my situation, I preferred to avoid my mother if I could, but even I couldn't deny that she'd be useful to help me get my bearings. I _would_ call her, just not immediately.

"Are you excited for school tomorrow?" My aunt asked interestedly, and I paused.

"School?" I echoed dumbly, not understanding what she meant.

"Mhmm," she hummed affirmatively as she chewed, "Everything is sorted out already, I made sure to register you in all your favorite classes. I know attending Public School can seem a little scary, but you'll enjoy it I'm sure."

"If you want I can go with you tomorrow?" Nina offered, but I was still lost.

Were they expecting me, a first year university student, to go back to highschool? I didn't understand. What type of faux reality was this?

But when I looked at the two of them, so calm and sure of their words, I could only swallow in an attempt to moisten my suddenly dry mouth, and shake my head haltingly. I had a feeling that it would be better for me to go along with everything for now.

"No thank you, I can manage on my own."

"If you're sure..." The blonde woman didn't seem convinced, so I forced myself to laugh.

"I'm sure. What will everyone think if I still need an adult to hold my hand on the first day?"

Both women joined me in my laughter, much to my relief. They seemed to believe my excuse. Taking the opportunity that presented itself, I decided to retire while the mood was still light. "I'm exhausted, so I think I'm gonna head on to bed." I said, standing and stretching pointedly.

"Oh yes I can imagine, you've had a long day. Go on and get some rest, you have to wake up early after all." Aunty Zaho said agreeably, shooing me away with her free hand.

"Goodnight Arsinoë." Nina said, and I smiled a little.

"Goodnight."

I fled as fast as I could without seeming weird, only relaxing after shutting the guest bedroom door (or well, my bedroom now). I leaned against the wood a sighed wearily, relieved to finally be left alone to my thoughts.

This whole situation, was quite literally, a mess. There was no other way for me describe it, nor did I have any idea how to fix said mess.

All I wanted was to be back home, curled up next to my best-friend on the couch and munching on unhealthy snacks as we watched Tolkien movies and spoke broken Elvish like the nerds we were.

"Ra help me." I groaned.


	2. Chapter 2

**Here we go, chapter 2 as promised. Hope you guys like it :)**

 **Arsinoë's changed, but not all that much. She's more realistic I think, though her hair is still the same shade we've all come to associate with her. There's a** _ **reason**_ **for it though, trust me. And even if there wasn't, hell, this is a world full of vampires and mystical creatures, sue me if I wanna have some fun with the maim heroine's hair color.**

 **Constructive criticism is always appreciated (please), and I'm always up for hearing and interesting conversation, or even just a silly joke about sparkly vampires, so don't hesitate!**

 _ **habibi - An Arabic term of affection, like "dear", "darling" etc**_

 **Review?**

* * *

I'd never been particularly religious. My ancestors had been one of the few to not renounce Kemetism when Christianity, then Islam swept across North Africa, and my parents continued to follow said tradition today. Sure, I could probably recite the religious texts from top to bottom, thanks to my mother who'd been trying to plant the fear of the Gods within me since before I even knew what a God was, and whenever it was time for a holy festival or ceremony, I partook in it willingly enough, but I'd never actually prayed of my own volition.

However, there was a first time for everything, and the previous evening I'd gotten on my knees and prayed to whichever Deity was on-duty that the events of the past twenty-four hours had all been a dream, and that I'd wake up safe and sound in my bed in Dublin.

But when I woke up in am unfamiliar bed, to an unfamiliar ceiling, I realised that no, I was still in mystical Forks Washington, and the Gods didn't give a damn.

Nice.

I had a complicated relationship with mornings, mostly because of my inability to get more than five hours sleep on a nightly basis, and even less the previous night, considering that my hand had been too busy running laps to slow down enough for me to get any rest. I did love mornings though, I loved waking up to crisp, biting air, to the sound of rain, and that at least, hadn't changed with my sudden relocation to this remote town on the Olympic Peninsula.

I forced myself to get up and took a quick shower, not wasting any time unnecessarily, brushing my teeth and combing my hair in a hurry. After checking the time on my phone after wrapping a towel around myself (said phone which had thankfully already been in my pocket before I was 'transported') it was with slight horror that I realized I was already late - I couldn't afford any more delays.

But as I glimpsed myself in the mirror, eyes dark and face worn, my brisk pace slowed to a crawl and I wondered if I should even bother. The Gods knew I wanted nothing more than to stay in bed and do nothing all day, ignoring my current situation, and why shouldn't I? I had no obligations to this new world -I still didn't even know if it was real. Why put in the effort?

"Arsinoë! Are you ready?" My aunt's voice called from downstairs, making me snap out of my thoughts.

I took one last glance at myself in the mirror, frowning. Was I ready? To face the outside world?

Was I hallucinating? Imagining all of it? It wouldn't be the first time. But I'd never experienced anything so _real_ and _whole_. The worst part was that I'd been on the track to recovery before this whole debacle; the dosage of my medication lowered, my therapist congratulating me on my newfound ability to properly interact with society. I was doing _fine_ , with maybe the occasional relapse, but nothing major.

I worried my lip. Why then, when everything was finally starting to go well for once in my miserable life, was I shoved into this...this...I didn't even know what to call it. I didn't want to believe that Lucy could be the cause, I couldn't.

This whole Twilight debacle - _I was imagining it._ No matter how real everything seemed, I had to keep reminding myself if that.

"Almost!" I shouted down, gulping down my medication that was kept in the cabinet behind the mirror - _just like back home_ , a voice whispered in my ear- and padding out of the bathroom to get dressed.

I decided on a pair of Moroccan harem pants, and an elbow length black shirt with nude colored pumps. I looked nice, but simple enough that I could blend in as 'normal'.

Well, normal if only people didn't glance at my hair.

I tried to tie it up in a bun, though it was in vain when the first scrunchie ended up snapping from the strain, and so I ended twisting it up and pinning it in place in an effort to get it away from my face.

After a second of thought, I also grabbed my phone before heading downstairs. Yes, it was foolish, but I'd only be using it in my car. I'd make sure no one saw.

"Good Morning, _habibi_. Did you sleep well?" My aunt asked when I arrived in the kitchen, looking extremely posh and elegant in her silver silk night gown and slippers. She was daintily eating a bowl of fruit muesli, assorted fruits cut up inside.

She looked like a fifties movie star, with her hair delicately pinned, I thought in amusement. I sat down across from her, smiling gratefully when a bowl of Coco Pops was set in front of me by Nina, receiving a wink in reply. It seemed she remembered my own preference. I poured the milk and dug in.

"The sound of trees was a bit bothersome, but yes I did." I replied around a mouthful of cereal.

"You get used to it after a few days." Nina answered, "Though it does get a bit dreary, I admit."

I nodded, but said nothing. I didn't want to get used to it, I just wanted to go back to my own, _sane_ life.

"Ah, _habibi,_ I have a surprise for you." My aunt gushed suddenly, green eyes sparkling brightly. "Hurry and finish your breakfast so I can show you!" Aunty Zaho instructed, getting out her chair and heading out to the hallway.

"Best do as she says, Arsinoë." Nina told me in a knowing tone behind her newspaper. My eyebrows furrowed, but my curiosity won out over my hunger, and after chugging down the rest of my chocolate milk, I quickly followed after my aunt.

She'd gone outside, I noticed when I followed, so I decided to grab my backpack (one which had magically appeared already packed and ready, much like everything else. I tried not to dwell on it too much.), that way I wouldn't have to go back inside. When I emerged into the driveway though, I was a tad bit surprised.

Okay, 'tad' being an understatement. Gobsmacked might've been more appropriate.

There, parked in the driveway right outside the garage, was a shiny brand new Range Rover in grey.

I could only stare wordlessly at it for a moment, before turning to my aunt. "Is that mine?" I asked in disbelief.

"You like it I assume?" She seemed worried at my lackluster reaction, "Your mother told me it was what you wanted. Don't you like it?" She asked in concern.

I blinked in surprise, "I love it, of course! I'm just very shocked." I told her and she looked reassured. "Thank you, really."

My Aunt smiled and then handed me a pair of keys, which I took gratefully, noticing the silver and diamond keychain with my name on it. That too, most have cost a fortune. I felt guilty, even though I knew it probably hadn't even put a dent in her pocket. I could have gotten myself a car, one that wouldn't immediately make me stand out upon arriving at school, but I didn't know a way to tell her that without sounding ungrateful.

And then I reminded myself that this was all a very elaborate hallucination, and even the car itself wasn't real, so I decided to just enjoy the car while I could.

My aunt patted down my hair, where curls had already started to escape and gave me a stern look. "Go now, before you're late." She said firmly, and I felt like a child about to start school all over again. "Remember-" But I cut her off with an exasperated sigh, and a fond smile.

"Yes, yes." I drawled, "Go straight to the office, I know Aunty Zaho. I'll see you later you later and tell you all about it." She seemed to think about this for a moment, before shaking her head, loose strands flying.

"Maybe not. I'll be driving up to Seattle for the opening of the new branch. And then there is a cocktail I _must_ attend. You might be asleep by the time I return." She explained and I rolled my eyes, prompting an amused grin to light up her face.

"Just another day in the life of the famous fashion designer." I said, equally amused. "Aye, aye captain. See you then." She nodded and I got in the car. She gave one last wave, before heading back inside.

* * *

I arrived at Forks High at 7:48 am precisely. The drive hadn't been too long, and finding it had been easy besides.

Listening to music helped calm me down a little as well, but I was still worried. Everything was just so _detailed,_ from the light dew that covered everything, to the smell of rain in the air. It was unsettling.

The school parking lot was halfway full by the time I arrived, and my arrival drew stares from every direction. I tried to ignored them as best as I could, making my way to the office quickly, to get my papers from Ms Cope. I tried to be quick, already late, but as soon as I entered, it was "Hello dearie! My, what lovely skin you have! And your hair! Is it natural?" and a "And your accent is so exotic and charming, do all Africans speak like you?" It made me embarrassed and slightly shy, because I didn't know how to receive compliments.

To be honest, I had even forgotten I had an accent. Everyone in Dublin got used to it after a while, so they stopped mentioning it and before that I was at home in Egypt for a while, and before that I was in Germany with my dad when he was placed as the stationed there, and before that, I was home again…

I travelled a lot. The point was, I'd picked up many different accents over time and I'd long grown to just roll with them.

After a found pat on the cheek, I was on my way to my first class, which was homeroom. Apparently it was my lucky day, because as I was arranging my new locker, I was ambushed with another round of compliments.

"You're really pretty. I love your hair by the way." A voice said from behind me, making me jump in surprise. I spun around to see who had spoken, only to be blinded by a white flash.

"Smile for the camera." The boy said mischievously. I blinked slowly, trying to stop the stars floating around my line of sight.

The boy was Asian by decent, with his thick black hair and slightly slanted eyes, though his accent was American. Perhaps his grandparents had come over?

He also had quite a bit of acne I noticed, taking in the red spots on his face, though that was quite normal for most males going through puberty. Other than that, he was okay looking -average, with a nice smile.

I told myself to make the effort, to be nice and open, despite the fact that I was interacting with a previously fictional character. "Can I get a do-over?" I asked, raising an eyebrow in inquiry, to which he grinned.

"Nah, looks better when you're unsuspecting." He answered cheekily. "I'm Eric Yorkie." He told me, putting the camera around his neck and holding out a hand for me to shake.

"Arsinoë Zeidan." I replied, taking it. His face brightened like a child at a candy store and I took a slight step back.

"So you're the foreign girl huh! Everyone's been talking about you -our new celebrity!" He declared. I scratched my arm nervously.

"Is that why you've decided to act as the paparazzi?"

"Pretty much." Eric shrugged, fiddling with his camera. "We wanna do a segment on you in the school newspaper, and I'm in charge."

I shook my head. Appearing in the school newspaper was just a sure-fire way to come under attention, something I didn't want. "Um, no please. I don't like the limelight."

His face fell with disappointment, but nonetheless he nodded. "Oh, well that's alright. I understand."

I smiled gratefully. "Thank you."

"No problem." Was his reply. "You have an accent you know." He said, as I started walking in the direction of my homeroom.

Eric followed after me. "So do you." I retorted pointedly. He looked surprised.

"I do?" He asked, sounding self-conscious. I snorted.

"Of course you do. Everyone does."

"That's pretty awesome, actually! Though yours is cooler though, you sound all...Arabic."

I gave him a look that said just how absurd he sounded. "Last I checked, I _am_ Arabic, Eric."

He flushed as we both entered the classroom and rubbed the back of his neck nervously. "No -I meant, like those foreign actresses in the movies? Like the really beautiful ladies that always turn out to be a spy in the end and like end up using their hairpins as a weapon."

I laughed, a genuine one. It seemed that I wouldn't have to make that much of an effort after all. "Which movies are these?" I couldn't help but ask.

"James Bond-Mission Impossible ones mostly." He replied with a grin.

I patted my hair bun where it was pinned to my head, and made a displeased sound, "Well, it seems my secret is out. _Yes_ Eric, I am hiding weapons in my hair, and I've come all the way to Forks just to kill you with them." I deadpanned.

He laughed loudly as we took seats near the back of the class by a window overlooking the parking lot. The window was wet with rain, the clouds heavy and grey outside. If there was one thing I didn't mind about all this, it was weather -its familiarity reminded me of Dublin

"Mr Yorkie, I wasn't aware that you had transferred into my class. No one informed me. Please tell me when this happened?" A sarcastic voice asked just as said boy was about to open his mouth again after his laughter had calmed.

I blinked, surprised he wasn't in the same class as me, and yet he'd even gone so far as to take a seat.

"Er, I was just helping the new student get to class, Mr Banner." Erik replied, looking embarrassed, making a few students snicker.

The teacher's gaze slid to me after a moment. "Ah, Miss Zeidan. Nice to finally meet you." He said looking at me through thin spectacles. I smiled and nodded. He turned back to the boy next to me.

"Well, Mr Yorkie, it looks like Miss Zeidan has arrived safely -so is there anything else you need?" He asked, pushing up his glasses. I had a feeling I would like this guy.

"Er, no." Eric replied dumbly, making Mr Banner roll his eyes.

"Well then leave." He stated and Eric did just that, tail between his legs.

I looked at Mr Banner, an amused glint in my eyes and he smiled just a tad.

Homeroom passed quickly, along with Physics and Lit. That was where I met Jessica Stanly and Lauren Mallory.

It went a bit like this;

"Hi! You're Arsinoë right?" A cheerful strawberry blond asked, startling me. I looked away from the window to see an eager face looking at me. She was pretty, I noticed, with her pale skin, blue eyes and strawberry blond hair. There was another girl sitting next to her though, and that one didn't look too friendly.

"Er, yeah?" It sounded more like a question, even to me. Jessica paid this no heed, instead looking at me with probing eyes.

"You're like, from Africa?" She asked again, and I nodded.

"Oh cool! I love you're tan by the way! And is your hair natural?"

"Thanks. Yes, my hair is natural." I answered, not saying more than I had to. Jessica nodded, eager. I remembered from Canon that she was a chatterbox and a gossip, and reminded myself to not to say anything that could possibly be used against me.

And let's just say from then on, she didn't stop talking.

History passed quickly too, and it was slightly interesting learning about the American Civil war but other than that, the morning was quite boring. Much to my relief, lunch arrived quickly and I eagerly left class, wanting only to find a quiet place to read the book assigned in English.

I didn't want to be more involved in this world more than necessary, lest I develop any lasting attachments and become reluctant to separate at all. I had to remember my goal, and that was to go home.

"Noë!" I heard a voice call whilst I was picking up a chicken sandwich in the cafeteria. I looked up to see Jessica waving obnoxiously from a table in the middle of the room, sitting with a group of people. I contemplated running away then and there, pretending I hadn't heard her...but I'd reacted to her call too fast, and everyone at the table was watching me. I didn't want to develop a reputation for being rude. With a slight sigh, I went over.

"Hey Jessica." I said, when I got there. The table's occupants watched me curiously. Lauren didn't spare me a glance.

"Everyone, this is Arsinoë. She's from Africa." Jessica introduced, pointing at me. I couldn't help but laugh a little, because me being from Africa seemed to be the highlight of my reputation, as if it were some mythical continent that was only spoken of in whispers.

Her words was met with a bunch of "Hey"s and "Sup"s and other variations. Introductions were quick, though it was a little overwhelming to be around people I'd previously known to be fictional. I met Mike, Tyler, Angela, Ben, Lee and Samantha (though I quickly forgot who each name belonged to), and they were all very open and friendly, and I received a million and one questions, all which that I answered with exasperated patience,and it was during the process of answering Ben's curious, "Oh, you lived in China? What's it like?" that the cafeteria doors opened.

I don't know what made this different from all the other times it did, because it sounded perfectly normal to me, but apparently not to everyone else, who immediately paused and turned. The words in mouth died as I saw what everyone was staring at.

I blinked for a moment, before comprehension dawned.

The Cullens. It was the Cullens, walking in all graceful-like and bloody intimidating. They looked nothing like their actors - though they were all breathtaking in their own right. Hell, just _looking_ at Rosalie made my self-esteem jump out the window.

And the last to walk in, the one who made every girl swoon and fall over, was Edward Cullen, and my heart just stopped, because my mind literally could not process how it was possible for someone to be that good looking. He was gorgeous, absolutely magnificent, was all I could think as I watched him stride across the room. I was quite embarrassed to think that if Adonis existed, had taken on a physical form then it was Edward Cullen, with his bronze coloured hair that changed colour with every angle, becoming a mix of reds and oranges and browns, a bored expression on his face, but it did nothing to diminish his handsomeness -making it more appealing if possible.

It was understandable why Bella couldn't shut up about him in the books.

Forcefully, I gave myself a mental shove to pull myself together. They're _not_ real, Arsinoë.

I quickly averted my gaze back to the table, trying to restart my pulse, but I'd already been caught staring. "Those are the Cullens." Lauren stated haughtily, as if she'd birthed them herself. "They came down here from Alaska two years ago. Doctor Cullen and his wife adopted them, cause apparently she can't have kids." Lauren sniffed, as if just the mere thought was abhorrent. I frowned at her.

"It's really unfortunate when someone can't have children Lauren." I told her disapprovingly,. "My aunt can't either. I think its really nice that Mrs Cullen did that. And maybe, they might come to appreciate her more than her own kids ever could, because she took care of them when no one else wanted to." I replied, genuinely annoyed with her. I'd always thought that Esme was a really nice person, Carlisle as well, and I didn't like the way Lauren talked about them.

"…Yeah, well anyway, they're all together. Like, _together_ together." She answered, huffing. Personally, even if I didn't know that their sibling act was all a farce, I'd have thought it was none of my business who other people chose to love.

"Well, except for that bronze haired beauty sitting alone, Edward. Apparently no one here is good enough for him." Lauren continued, flipping her hair and trying for nonchalant.

"Learnt this from experience huh?" I asked innocently, unable to resist poking fun at her.

"E-Excuse me?" Lauren asked, affronted and shooting me daggers. Jessica and the girl next to her, were trying to hide sniggers. I shrugged and sipped my milk calmly.

"What she's trying to say is that he's just not interested, so don't bother trying." Said a dark haired girl with glasses. She was very pretty, with hints of Latin blood in her. Angela, I remembered her being.

"Yeah, Ange's right. Just setting yourself up for heartbreak." Jessica finished, pouting and I had a feeling that she too had tried to win Edward's affection, prompting me to smile slightly in amusement.

Why would I commit myself when everything was fake anyway? I shook my head. "I _really_ wasn't planning on it." I said honestly. I looked at the time on the large clock in the room and stood up.

"Where you going?" Jessica asked, noticing my movement.

"I need to go and see Ms Cope about a few of my classes. She said to meet her after I finished lunch." I answered, pushing in my chair and tossing my things into the bin a few feet away. One of the boys let out an impressed whistle.

"Woah, Africa, good aim you got there!" He exclaimed, giving me a high five as I passed.

"I'll see you guys later." I said with a wave and a smile.

* * *

The meeting with Mrs Cope ended up taking longer than expected. I'd tried in vain to get out of Spanish, since I already knew other languages, but Spanish was mandatory since it was an Official language of the country. I'd wanted to switch it for a free period, but she was adamant that I could not.

On top of that, I ended up getting lost on the way to Biology, because it was in a completely different building.

"Sorry I'm late! I got lost!" I exclaimed apologetically, five minutes tardy for class. The teacher paused in his explanation, as well as writing on the board, and looked at me. Along with the twenty other students of the class.

"It's quite alright." He said kindly. "Many people get lost. Even I do sometimes." He replied, smiling reassuringly, and I nodded, relieved.

"You arrived just in time regardless, I was just starting. Please take a seat anywhere you'd like." He answered, gesturing to the room….which only had one seat left…And it was currently situated next to a glaring vampire.

Oh shit.

In all honesty, I had forgotten about this part, mostly because I didn't think that I'd have the same effect Bella did on Edward. Wasn't it extremely rare to find your singer? What were the chances that it'd be _me_?

I tried to sit down confidently, telling myself that nothing could happen. I was safe, these were just my feelings of paranoia manifesting themselves. I was fine.

I didn't even feel insulted when I noticed him discreetly angling his chair as far as possible away from me.

I felt bad even though I knew it wasn't technically my fault. I probably smelt like the most delicious thing in the world to him right now, just testing his hard-earned self control.

I tried to make things easier for him by putting my hair down from its bun that way at least the scent of my blood would be muffled by the apple blossom smell of the shampoo I'd used this morning. It seemed to make things better, I noticed, by the way he relaxed just a miniscule bit more, and his black eyes didn't feel like a fire burning right through me. Now it just felt like fire being sent _to_ me. Quite the difference when you were fearing for your life.

The rest of the forty-three minutes of Biology were spent taking notes, trying my best to not inconvenience him and maybe become dinner, and marveling at how good looking he was, in a discreet way of course.

Looking at Edward close up, even through the curtain of my hair, I could fully understand why Bella couldn't get over his perfection. My mind sure could conjure up the most beautiful things when it wanted to.

Edward was like Greek God who had been thrown out of Olympus for being too good looking and threatening to usurp Zeus by seducing literally everybody.

 _Including_ Zeus.

The class ticked by excruciatingly slowly, the clock moving sluggishly. It was the tensest fourty-five minutes of my life -I tried not to move much unless necessary, but I could still see how tightly his fists were clenched from the effort of not devouring me on the spot. It was a relief when the bell finally rang, and I could finally breathe easily again after Edward had basically zoomed out of the room.

The rest of the 'day' went okay I guess, even when I ran into Edward trying to convince Ms Cope to switch his class with something else. It was unsuccessful, and I sympathized, having been in the exact same predicament earlier myself.

The dark glare full of loathing that he shot me was still unsettling though.

"How was your day?" Nina asked later on when I arrived home, looking concerned as I half-dragged myself through the door. She'd been carrying a load of clean laundry and paused in the foyer as I entered.

I tried to give her a smile, toeing off my shoes at the threshold. "Oh, it was good. I made some friends." I said, wiggling my feet.

She looked dubious, her blue eyes unbelieving. "Uh huh." Was her reply. "I'm about to get started on dinner, come help me and you can tell me all about them." She proposed.

My forced smile slipped a little and I shifted uncomfortably. Company was the last thing I wanted at the moment. All I wanted was to crawl into bed and pretend nothing else existed. My day had been draining and I was exhausted. "I'm actually really tired Nina, I'm just gonna go take a little nap before I get started on homework."

She stared at me contemplatively for a long time before she said in a voice that broker no room for argument, "You need some Yoga."


	3. Chapter 3

**Here we are with the new chapter~**

 **Honestly, I've been planning this rewrite for half the year, so half of it is already written and ready, except for maybe a few minor things I might need to change. I have to forcefully restrain myself to not post everything in one fell swoop, it wouldn't be as fun if I did ;)**

 **Thanks so much to my first fee reviewers, I love you guys! I hope you like this chapter, here we see more slight changes to our heroine's character, her willingness to interact with others a start, and a little more of the humor that makes her Arsinoë. Don't worry, I know this fic may seem angsty, but it is meant to be humorous.**

 **I also forgot that since this I new fic entirely, and most of you don't know what she looks like. I really should find a place to insert her description...**

 **Basically she has really bushy dark purple hair (yeah yeah, Mary sue I know, sue me), brown eyes and olive skin.**

 **IN FACT, I'VE MADE AN INSTAGRAM FOR HER AND SOME OTHER CHARACTERS!**

 **You can see what she and Lucianna look like there, as well as her siblings, though aside from Lucy's, I won't be revealing her siblings instas just yet.**

 **Check them out when you have time at** _ **Pharaoh_zeizei**_ **and** _ **lucyauryn**_ **on Instagram. I'll add the links to my profile when I have time:)**

 **Chapter Updates shall henceforth be every Saturday!**

 **Sorry for the super long authors note,**

 **Review?**

* * *

In the end, the Yoga didn't work out, much to Nina'a dismay. Cleary frustrated, in an another attempt to get me to 'achieve inner tranquility and harmony', she proceeded to beat my sorry ass into the ground, under the guise of 'sparring' all the while berating me for not keeping fit.

To her credit, it did work, enabling me to take out my frustrations in a non self-destructive manner, and so she made it routine.

The rest of the week passed quickly meshed in a blend of music and social interaction. I hung out with my new friend group (and lo and behold, everyone was much more fun than they were depicted in the books, Bella lost the opportunity for some damn good times, had she only made the effort) and I gave everything my complete one hundred percent effort, be it school or P.E or even helping Nina out with her charity work - I was there and pumped up and eager. It was my attempt to keep myself going and not let anything get me down.

Sleep had always been a foreign concept to me, four nightmare filled hours a night being the most I could achieve without medicinal aid, but coupled with my newfound vicarious lifestyle, behind my bright smiles and loud laughter, I was half dead and slightly manic from my copious amounts of ingested caffeine.

Good vibes, I constantly reminded myself.

Edward had been gone for the whole week, and I could only find it in me to be only a little surprised, but it was a relief. I found I could breathe a little easier in class. The funny thing was, his family glared at me like it was my fault. _Yes_ , I suppose, maybe it was in a roundabout way -but regardless, it wasn't nice to feel daggers piercing through one's head anytime they were in the vicinity.

On one hand, staying in Biology meant that I could remain with Edward, which, despite all I'd done to beat back my idiotic schoolgirl crush, made me a little bit happy. Just a little. One the _other_ hand, staying in biology meant that I'd remain with _Edward_ , the Vampire who loathed me and probably wanted me gone, and that wasn't a prospect that encouraged me.

In the end, I decided to just suck it up, keep to my little corner at our shared table, and attract zero attention to myself.

During the weekend, I attended one of my aunt's fashion shows, a common enough activity that apparently even carried into this dimension. Both she and my mother always encouraged me to attend big events, since it enabled me to meet important people and develop contacts for later in life.

Cue eye roll.

It was great fun in all honesty, though I avoided the camaras like the plague -being in the limelight was something that never appealed to me. Despite this though, I did dance a lot at the after-party, the nostalgia from hearing all the old songs from this decade was just too much. We ended up staying late, and so Sunday was spent being lazy. I took the opportunity however, to pay a call to my parents, to check on them and try orient myself on my current situation.

And that was the problem. My avoidance of my current reality. The first three days, I was extra vigilant, reminding myself that everything was all fake and that I didn't have to worry because I'd snap out of it soon and I could carry on living my life as normal, maybe after a few sessions of therapy.

But then the week passed, and I became fully submerged in this world, and it was terrifying to me because I could no longer figure out if I was imagining things or if it was all real. I'd barely gotten any sleep because of it, and I could _feel_ myself slowing accepting it all as fact, feel my mind decieve me and go on its own way.

The idea of being transported into a different time -different dimension-, well to be frank, it was unbelievable, but also, everything was just so _real_ , no matter how much I tried to deny it. I followed my doctor's orders diligently, taking my medication as prescribed at all allocated times of the day, I kept my checklist of things to do to help me stay focused, I never let myself be idle, and yet nothing changed. I didn't wake up, find myself back in Dublin, and realise that indeed it'd all just been my mind playing tricks on me.

I was still, despite all common sense, trapped in Forks.

So I paid the call to my parents, in vain hope that they could help me out, but it seemed like even they were deeply ingrained in this reality. An hour of awkward conversation with them about what exactly I was doing in Forks and why I couldn't just live with them in Seoul, yeilded nothing.

The official story basically, was that city life was far too distracting for a 'young, impressionable' girl like me, and I needed to be in a quiet place in order to focus on my studies in order to be successful.

Right.

The story would have been a lie even if this _was_ myreality. My whole family and their dogs knew the real reason as to why I was sent here, and they were all probably gossiping about it behind closed doors.

Arsinoë Zeidan, the unstable family disappointment.

In a moment of emotional shut down, I passively accepted their words and hung up the phone.

I spent the rest of Sunday planning out how to 'survive' if you will. Lucianna didn't pick up any of my calls or answer any texts when I tried to contact her (learning that my sim-card worked in this dimension only served to confuse me even more), so I figured that I'd be on my own for a while. Just me and my continuosly fraying sanity.

Really, there wasn't much I could do aside from try get used to things until I found my way back 'home'.

So it was with that resigned outlook on life that I faced Monday morning. I didn't even grumble that much when my alarm rang, and if that wasn't a damn good sign, then I didn't know what was.

I got ready leisurely, wearing a pair of navy blue tights, a light blue Billabong T-shirt and a matching cardigan for the slight chill in the air. For my cold feet (figuratively and literally), I wore grey elf shoes, just like the ones Legolas hopped around in.

The Nikes for Elves, Lucianna had called them.

Breakfast was a quick affair. Aunty Zaho had already left the house so it was just me and Nina, who was busy sorting out my Aunt's closet upstairs. She made no secret of her disdain for my aunt's seemingly limitless collection, grumbling loudly and vehemently, much to my amusement.

The drive to school was spent loudly singing along to Lana Del Rey, even when I finally arrived on premises. Perhaps, I should have been more concerned with the fact that I was playing songs that techinally shouldn't have existed yet, but then I thought to myself, fuck it.

And then a silver Volvo drove in, all slow and dramatic, drawing everyone's attention away. I looked over at their car situated quite a ways from me, and rolled my eyes when I saw they took up three parking spots with no shame at all. It was unnecessary.

They all stepped out, seemingly as if in a movie, looking perfect as always. It was a wonder to me how they could have possibly kept their secret for so long, with them being, well, so _them_.

It was slightly embarassing to admit, but the only one who really captured my full attention was Edward, who emerged looking like some fabled Greek Deity -in dark jeans, a black long-sleeved sweater, his signiture grey coat and brown leather shoes. His hair fell in all directions, making my hands twitch with the need to run my hands through it, and I forcibly clenched them in an effort to calm myself.

 _Don't fall for him, Arsinoë. He's not real._

Alice, looking petite and pretty and always, whispered something in his ear, and he frowned slightly gaze landing on my car. When he looked through the glass at me, I saw his eyes were now liquid topaz. So different from the black of the previous week it was disorienting.

It was obvious to see why everyone immediately succumbed to him, Edward, quite plainly, was magnificent.

I didn't dwell on it for long however, instead forcing my attention to fully switching off the engine, and disconnecting my phone. I plugged in the earphones Nina had given me and walked into the school, eager to get the day overwith, fully aware of the gazes being shot my way. I was used to it, the blaring shine of my 'new kid' status hadn't quite worn off yet.

The morning passed quickly -classes weren't too complicated, and so I ended up being bored during most of them. I'd already done most of the subjects, and so the answers were already in my mind. Eventually lunch came along, where Jessica latched on to me as soon as I got my food with the strength of a vicious bulldog.

I had conflicted feelings concerning Jessica; I knew what type of a person she was from the books, being two-faced and superficial, and on principle, I tried to avoid people like her, however, I couldn't automatically assume she'd behave the same towards me. I preferred to watch from a distance in order to judge for myself. And anyway, she was nice enough, she always included me in conversations and made sure I was okay, so she couldn't be all _that_ bad. She was just a normal teenage girl, at the end of the day.

She was chattering on about something I didn't pay attention to, too busy multitasking by trying to eat my chili-stuffed Sharwarma and participate in a heated debate with Eric, Angela and Ben about the West's claim of 'civilizing' the rest of the world. Ben and I were of the opinion that the term 'civilization' was debatable, and for example Africa and the Middle-East were already leaders in Education, therefore already 'civilized', whereas Angela and Eric thought that yes, even then, the West brought over technological advancements that pushed the world years forward with the Industrial Revolution.

And Mike was making important noises in the background, pretending to agree with me, the poor guy.

"-Alright, but also think of the way the West shut down all progress not made by them and-" It was in the middle of Ben's point that suddenly Jessica let out a squeal and shoved my shoulder, almost completely shoving me off my chair and making me choke on the bread, prompting a laugh from Lauren and stares from other nearby tables. I glared incredulously at Jessica, as I righted myself, raising an expectant eyebrow.

"Don't look now, but Edward Cullen is staring at you!" She whispered loudly.

'Don't look' obviously meaning " _turn your attention immediately"_

I huffed irritably, rolling my eyes and roughly took another bite of the pita bread in my hands. Ben promptly resumed what he'd been saying.

"That's it?" I demanded, my voice evidently showing my disbelief. "That's why you just tried to kill me by asphyxiation?" I asked, finishing the last bite and leveling Jessica with an annoyed look. "I could have _died_ , Jessica."

Angela giggled behind her hand, attention half on us, "She could have _died_ , Jess." She repeated mock seriously, to which we both laughed.

The blond girl huffed, but waved her hands in what she assumed to be a subtle gesture (which really looked like she was wildly swatting bees and only drew more stares) and slapped my arm insistently.

I snorted once more, but I decided to humor her nonetheless, turning around to see what she was talking about. Indeed said bronze haired Cullen was staring -quite intently, I might add- and even when I caught his gaze he didn't look away, his eyebrows just furrowing further.

I sighed softly, pursing my lips slightly in displeasure, before looking away, my hair acting as a barrier between us.

The fact that like with Bella, he couldn't read my mind, was worrisome, especially with the aforementioned girl's blatant absence. What did that mean for me? That I was supposed to take her place? Automatically conduct Edward's interest towards me? What was my mind trying to convey by playing out this story?

Those were all things I didn't have answers to, and I had no choice but to wait and see.

I would see him soon anyway.

* * *

The bell rang soon after that, and I slowly threw away my trash and headed out the cafeteria with everyone else, positively dragging my feet as I made my way to biology, dreading to see for myself just what fate wanted from me.

I took my time, procrastinating, and finally arrived just three minutes before class was supposed to start, sucking on a hard-candy mint after a trip to the girl's lavatory to freshen up and waste time. I wasn't surprised to see him in his seat already, much like the vast majority of the class, and I warily went to sit next to him. I had already placed my things on my side of the desk before I went to lunch, and I noticed they were in the exact same spot I had left them, not disturbed by an inch at all.

I sat down silently, trying to draw very little of his attention, before opening my notebook to a fresh page, copying the date and title from the board. I would wait and see what happened, and pray he paid me no heed.

"Hello." I heard, and I jumped a little, startled (and really, why was I surprised?) before slowly letting my gaze fall on him.

Clearly, the Gods weren't interested in my prayers.

His voice was just as breathtaking as he was, soft and smooth, and I could already tell he was the type of person who preferred to speak in quiet tones unless strictly necessary. Probably the result of having sensitive ears and living with people that could hear a whisper from the second floor. I didn't want to open my mouth, for some reason embarrassed. Much of my school experience before this (limited as it was) was spent being poked fun at because of my 'weird accent', as it was called, and though I'd gotten over it (mostly), I couldn't help but feel self-conscious all over again.

"Hi." I replied simply, whilst skimming over last week's notes so I could seem busy. Edward wasn't swayed by my standoffishness.

"I'm sorry I didn't get a chance to introduce myself last week. I'm Edward Cullen. You're Arsinoё Zeidan, right?" I told myself to _chill_ , and looked at him with a raised eyebrow.

"Ah, you already know my name?" I asked. "And here I thought to deceive you with something else." Edward chuckled softly, aware that Mr Varner had just started the lesson.

"Something else like?" He asked, sounding vaguely amused, and I shrugged, getting out my stationary. Mr Varner walked around the room handing our the equipment necessary for the lesson.

"Something very fancy -Antonia Antoinette, possibly." I mused humorously, writing the date on a fresh piece of paper.

He gave a wry smile. "Forks is a small town. News travels fast." Was all he said back and I 'hmmed' in agreement before writing the topic at the top of the page. Then I looked back at him, catching him staring and my mouth opened before I could control it.

"You were gone last week." I said, and where was this newfound confidence coming from? I saw a flash of panic in his topaz eyes before it was smothered and replaced with a slight smile. I wished I could roll my eyes at him.

"Yes. I was out of town for a couple of days. Family reasons." He said. Unfortunately for Edward, I knew he was lying. I made a faux sound of comprehension and finished writing the summary from the board, and reached for the microscope placed on our desk.

"Oh yeah, I completely understand." I said, adjusting the lenses. "When my grandmother's sister's cousin's brother's daughter's friend's cousin's pet gold fish dies, I will always go running." I said in a understanding tone. Edward let out a surprised laugh next to me, but I looked into the microscope and remained quiet.

"Prophase." I stated absentmindedly, scribbling down the answer. Edward pulled the microscope towards himself.

"Mind if I take a look?" I nodded and he did as intended, before coming away from the lens with a smirk.

"Prophase." He acknowledged, sounding vaguely impressed.

"Told you so." I said dryly.

"Where did you hear that absurd story?" Edward asked, when we were done, sounding incredulous. I shugged.

"Everyone's been saying it." I replied jokingly, fiddling with my pen.

"And you believed them?" He asked, perfectly arching a dark brow. I laughed under my breath, and looked at him innocently.

"No, although you're reaction was funny." I paused in my pen twirling for a second, "And not _everyone_ has been saying it, just a friend." Because Mike _had_ mused it on the third day of Edward's absence, prompting Samantha, a diehard Edward fan girl, to smack him.

Edward made a sound of acknowledgement, an exaggerated "ah" sound accompanied by a sage nod, clearly meant to be humorous, and I bit my tongue so as not to smile like a fool.

"So, how are you finding the weather? Wet and Cold may as well be synonymous with Forks " He joked softly, changing the subject.

"You're asking me about the weather?" I asked, my eyebrows raised in surprise, Edward seemed to relax a tad and he smiled, and honestly, my heart skipped a beat.

"I suppose I am." He answered, with a shrug, "Is there a problem with inquiring about your opinion of our gloomy weather here in Forks?" He asked, cheeky.

Talking to him, as in him being an _actual_ _being_ , was very different than what I would have ever expected. He had much more personality than anything canon showed.

"None at all. You just didn't strike me as the type to make small talk. Or any talk at all." I answered, before saying "Anaphase." and sliding him the microscope automatically, already writing the brief description under my answer.

"Do you mind if I check?" I heard his voice ask and I mumbled a distracted reply. He took it as a positive and looked, before nodding and writing the same answer as mine, as well as a much better and more put together description.

"I've been known to say a few words, and you haven't answered my question." He reminded me, looking expectant. He was right and I sighed, nostalgically.

"In all honesty," I started, resuming my pen twirling, "I love the weather here. I just came over from Northern Europe, so it's not much of a change. The 'wet' and 'cold' as you put it, appeal to me very much. Its the quiet I'm not used to." I told him with a dry smile. "I'm a 'city-girl'."

"What made you move to Forks, then?" He asked, looking into the microscope and writing down the answer in his notebook quickly, and yet he still made it look like calligraphy.

I sighed, copying what he had written, followed by my own description.

I fumbled. "Its…um…complicated." I answered, though I knew he wouldn't drop it. How did I answer his question without it being a lie? "Oh, well you see, one second I was in my room and the next I was in Forks, the land of fictional characters." Ha, like that would go down well. He'd think me crazy.

"I think I can keep up." He pushed, sounding entirely interested.

"Peace, and the very quiet I'm not familiar with." I answered, sticking to the very story my parents gave me. Edward looked confused, tilting his head slightly with a puzzled frown on his face.

"My parents -well mother more precisely wanted me out of the city, because its apparently, 'full of distractions that I just can't afford with my university career looming right ahead'." The sarcasm in my voice was palpable.

"My mother has high expectations, with me coming from an..." I trailed off, unsure of how to continue, "…Important family so it was either Forks or boarding school. I'm not one for stiff uniforms and propriety in general, so I chose the former, as you can see." I explained with a huff, before quickly scribbling down the last two answers Edward had somehow procured during my explanation.

"Ah, according to you, the lesser of the two evils." He replied, nodding in understanding.

He casually put the microscope in the middle of the table, now that we were done with it. His hand brushed against mine. It was ice-cold, though I suspected it had more to do with the cool weather than normal. I pushed it away with my own hand with a wry smile, and he stared at me unreadably for a moment, before fully retracting it. I turned back to the clock, noticing we had four minutes left. The whole class was done, and Mr Varner was explaining the homework (a summary of how all the stages worked together) so I began packing away my things, much like everyone else in class. The male next to me, already had his things stacked neatly, and as soon as the bell rang, he had them gathered and was on his way without even a farewell.

History was interesting, but I didn't pay much attention, eager to go home. I was exhausted when the bell rang and by the time I had packed away my unneeded books in my locker, replacing them for the one's I'd need for homework, I was visibly dragging myself to my car.

As I fumbled with finding the keys in my bag, I felt eyes on me and looked up, only slightly surprised to see it was the Cullens. I looked at them look at me, and noticed that Edward wasn't with them. After a few seconds of silent staredown, I waved, pasting on the fakest smile in the world before getting inside the car. I didn't waste another second, immediately switching it on and joining the car line of other students eager to get home. From the left sideview mirror, I saw Edward arrive just before I turned out the gate and into the freeway, and I caught him giving my car a questioning glance. I looked away before he knew I could see him and sighed heavily.

Life was just too complicated.

* * *

"Couscous, couscous, does whatever it is couscous does! It is yummy, and delish..Look out, there you are couscous!" I sang, pushing my cart down the aisle at the grocery store. I'd come to help out Nina with the cooking, as contribution to the household, despite her protests. I didn't mind, cooking was second nature to me, and it was the least I could do besides.

As I was picking out the fancy packet with the Persian dude in a turban, I heard a very soft sound behind me, almost like a giggle. I raised my eyes from my inspection of the package and turned around, ready to ask the person if they needed something, still humming. I had no intentions of stopping my Couscous song because of them.

Much to my surprise though, I was met with the sight of a very beautiful woman smiling softly when I met her gaze. She had soft looking caramel hair that spilled down her shoulders in wavy curls, lovely golden eyes that held warmth, a perfect heart-shaped face with lovely high cheekbones and soft looking rosy lips, and curves in all the right places. Not to mention her pale complexion which made her look like fragile porcelain that could break at any moment. She was beautiful. Way too beautiful actually.

She must've been Esme, my mind concluded easily.

"Oh, excuse me, it's just, you're song…about the couscous I mean, was just adorable." She gushed, smiling brightly, and making my insides melt. Damn this woman.

I looked to the ground abashedly, whilst fiddling with the pack in my hands, not knowing how to reply under such attention.

"Er, t-thank you?" It was more of a question than a statement and I awkwardly tucked a strand of errant hair that was falling in to my eyes behind my ear, shifting from foot to foot. I didn't know what to do, I didn't think I'd ever meet this woman, and now that she was right in front of me, I felt like fleeing as fast as possible.

Esme giggled again, before hesitantly taking a step forward, basket in hand. I noticed it contained common food items that frequently ran out, milk, bread, eggs, the like. Keeping up appearances, of course.

"I'm Esme Cullen. My husband works down at the hospital." She introduced haltingly, but she didn't hold out her hand. It was weird to think that confident and sure Esme would be nervous because of me, she just didn't seem like type. She'd obviously seen how uncomfortable I was, and felt bad.

So I put on a smile, a soft and inviting one and asked with no little amount of wariness if she would like to have a cup of coffee with me (despite the fact that I knew she didn't actually drink coffee) at the little café next door. I didn't know why I asked, nor what promoted me, but it just seemed like the right thing to do. Something told me that she'd be important.

Luckily for me, she agreed easily and we quickly paid for our shopping, chatting happily all the while and soon bonded over mugs of steaming hot Chocachino's, which, surprisingly she drank without any outward signs of discomfort.

I was surprised at how easy it was to talk to her, even if she was only a perfect stranger not even hours before, and contrary to my initial assumptions, we had a great many things in common, we spent the rest of the afternoon talking about all our favorite female heroines in history and the different fashions of multiple historic eras. All in all, it was a pleasant time, and we left after exchanging numbers and promises to meet up again sometime.

That night, just as I was about to make my attempt at asleep, I couldn't help but think that for a mother of five, a wife, and a matriarch of a vampire coven, she was surprisingly easy to relate to.

* * *

 **Again, check out** _ **Pharaoh_zeizei**_ **and** _ **lucyauryn**_ **on Instagram!**


	4. Chapter 4

**This chapter guys...I don't even know what happened. One second I was editing it and and the next I'd removed and written the whole last part. I'm a mess.**

 **Welp.**

 **Anyway, here we branch off from the original CP, at least more blatantly, and I hope no one will drag me for them. One more warning for any of those who are reading this, canon characters will be changed slightly, original world building, mythology, and original characters will be in this story. If no one can take it, then I suggest you back out now.**

 **Thank you to all those who faved and followed your silent support is appreciated, and to my few reviewers, thank you.**

 **Constructive criticism is very much appreciated, and I'm especially excited for everyone's thoughts on this chapter, so...**

 **Review?**

* * *

That morning, I woke up feeling anxious, a deep feeling of unsettlement rolling in my stomach. I knew the reason of my discomfort -of course I did. Today would be the day of the van incident, and I just _knew_ that somehow, I'd be involved. The prospect was terrifying, because unlike Bella, I wouldn't have a vampire there to save my skin, and I'd end up a bright red splotch on the tar.

Nice.

I lay staring at the ceiling, thinking of all the ways I could try and and avoid the inevitable. I _could_ fake sickness and skip school for the day, but I didn't feel good taking advantage of an already concerned Nina like that by giving a false alarm. It wouldn't be right.

With a resigned sigh, I tossed over and buried my face in my fluffy pillow, inwardly groaning at my situation.

Actually, speaking of Bella, where the hell was she? She was supposed to arrive around the same time I did, but it had been maybe two weeks since my arrival in Forks and still no sign. Her father was here, that I knew because I occasionally saw him in his cruiser driving around and patrolling. Where was she then? Wasn't she supposed to swoop in and attract all these weird events, therefore keeping the rest of us secure by default?

And if she wasn't here, and I was, what exactly did that mean? Did my subconscious hate her so much that it removed her from existence in this world all together? I'd never much like Bella, yes, but to create a reality in which she didn't exist? Was I supposed to take her place then?

Sighing again, I swung my legs off the bed and headed on over to the bathroom to get ready. Maybe I'd just be late and skip the whole van incident altogether.

I took a long shower, leisurely brushed my teeth, actually tried to tame the purple bush that passed as my hair, and slowly got dressed in a pair of black woolen stockings, a black and white woolen skirt, and a long sleeved black top that had my surname printed on top, the shirt from a long passed family vacation in which we had all been divided into teams by surname. I also pulled on a grey beany and black gloves with black boots. I decided to let my hair loose as well. The thickness of it would protect my neck from the cold so I wouldn't need a scarf. Forks was freezing, and I'd need the warmth.

I grabbed my phone on my way out, along with my backpack, before making my way downstairs for breakfast.

"Good morning, _habibi_. You slept well I assume?" My aunt asked as soon as entered the kitchen.

"In this cold?" Nina asked as she flipped a pancake. "I turned the heat all the way up and my feet still froze." She grumbled.

I laughed. "I was pretty warm actually." I gloated, making her roll her eyes. I sat down next to my aunt, putting down my bag by my feet.

"Good." Aunty Zaho said in a pleased voice, before humming thoughtfully. "The roads are quite dangerous in this weather, if you want I could drop you off, yes?" She asked, though not really paying attention, instead replying to someone on her PDA.

I was tempted to accept, but even despite the possibility of avoiding imminent danger, I didn't want to be a bother. "Its quite alright really." I replied, grinning broadly when a heaping plate of fatty goodness was placed in front of me.

"Alright then." She acknowledged. "I won't be here when you get home. I'm flying over to New York so I can start seeing the preparations for Fashion Week. I'll be back by the weekend. Hopefully anyway. Nina will be going with me. I can arrange someone to stay with you while we're gone if you like?" She asked, putting down the phone and turning to look at me with a raised eyebrow. Leaving me home alone,with no one to watch over me obviously didn't sit well with her, but I simply shook my head.

"I can stay alone. It's fine." I answered, shoving another piece of food in my mouth. My aunt gave me a critical once over, before nodding slowly.

"I trust you. You're a big girl." She said, caressing my cheek with a soft smile, which I returned as best as I could with a fork in my mouth, "If you have any boys over, at least use protection. I'm too young to be an aunt." She joked and I rolled my eyes.

"I'll be sure to stock up." I answered, drinking some of the milk in the glass in front of me. She laughed before finishing her tea and standing up to leave.

"Until then, habibi." She said and I nodded. Nina smiled at me before collecting my now empty plate.

"Are you sure you want to stay alone? I can stay if you want." She offered, but I shook my head. Nina was literally my Aunt's right hand woman, I couldn't take her away from work. "Really, I'll be fine. It's just one week." I answered, getting my keys from the bowl in the middle of the island and picking up my school bag.

"…Alright then." Nina acquiesced, yet she was still hesitant. I smiled one last time in an attempt to reassure her, though it didn't much work.

After chugging down my daily dose of medication (which _still_ seemed to be having no effect whatsoever), I got my coat from the hanger by the door, and was extra careful when I made my way down the driveway towards my car. Luckily, my boots had rubber soles so they gripped the ground. I didn't even slip once.

When I got into the car, and I heaved one last weary sigh and made my way to Forks high, hoping that maybe fate would be kind.

Knowing my luck, probably not.

* * *

The school parking lot was mostly full by the time I arrived, and I banged my head on the steering wheel when I saw no signs of a white van anywhere.

So much for avoiding it all.

Groaning loudly at my life, I switched off the ignition and unplugged my phone with a pout on my face, but when I glanced up again, I caught Edward staring at me with a slight smirk of amusement on his handsome face.

I was embarrassed that I'd so easily fallen victim to his looks like another one of his mindless fan girls. There was much more to him than just his looks, and I told myself to stop acting shallow.

But Gods, it was like he didn't know what he did to the female population. In an attempt to seem normal, I sent a friendly smile his way, just like I would any other person, -because Edward was most definitely _not_ special- and much to my surprise, his smirk brightened into an actual smile. Like an honest to Gods genuine _smile._

Luckily for me before I could embarrass myself and pass out in my car seat, there was a tap at the window. I forcibly pried my eyes away from Edward and looked to see who it was.

It was Angela, surprisingly and she was looking slightly hesitant. Mentally I thanked her for the distraction. I was slipping in concentration too much these days and if I didn't pull myself together, Gods only knew what would happen.

I got out and hugged her.

"Hey Angela, what's up?" I asked as we started walking together arm in arm.

"I was wondering if maybe you could maybe help me with the math homework before school starts. Its not much, just a few problems I didn't understand." She said, looking shy.

"You're having math problems?" I drawled, raising a brow at her, and she flushed in embarrassment.

"I just can't get it, and I've tried and tried but-" she cut herself off with a frustrated sound, waving her free hand around in aggravation, and I coughed in an attempt to hide my laughter. Angela was a maths whiz, and the fact that _she_ of all people was having problems, was hilarious.

"Well, I'm not a maths genius like you but..." We stopped by her white Toyota. "Lemme take a look." I said, and she smiled gratefully before taking out the books from her backpack and placing them on the boot. She explained to me what she didn't understand and I saw the problem after a few seconds.

"Well, what you're doing wrong is multiplying these two numbers first in the equation. Have you ever heard of PEMDAS?" I asked and she shook her head so I took her pencil and wrote at the back for her.

"Parenthesis, Exponents, Multiplication, Division, Addition, Subtraction. Follow that and you shouldn't ever have a problem." I said, underlining each, before going back to the problem. "So you take care of that first, right? And then when you get the result you can mov-" But my explanation was cut off by a loud screech sounding throughout the whole parking lot. Our heads snapped up in horror as we watched the blue van come barreling towards us.

Well, I knew it, fate was indeed a bitch.

"Angela, we have to move. Move now!" I told her frantically, turning to the terrified Latin girl next to me, trying to pull her along. Unfortunately she was frozen in place and wasn't moving, her eyes fixated on the van in terror. I waved my hands frantically in front of her face but she was so deeply retreated into herself she didn't even flinch away.

Tyler's van was coming in fast, and I knew with the way Angela had gone into shock, I wouldn't have time to get both of us out of the danger zone, so instead I quickly regained my bearings and stopped panicking, focusing on saving Angela. It was my bloody karma that had caused this mess, it wouldn't be fair for her to die too.

"Come on Ange, you're not dying today. I muttered determinedly, decision made. I quickly moved behind her and kicked the back of her knees so that she would fall into me and just before I felt the ton of bricks hit me, pushed her away with all of my strength. The ice underfoot did its job, and she slid with a cry of surprise, but her momentum carried her far enough to safety.

Screams filled the area but I didn't really hear them. Instead the wind was knocked out of my lungs by the bulldozer which had just careened into me.

 _Edward_ , I realised with shock.

We slid backwards and hit Angela's car hard, but before I could even register what happened, Edward's lightning fast hand had hit the side of the truck with a loud "Bam!" and he quickly swung my legs around so they wouldn't be run over, pulling me away to safety.

It all happened so fast that I was sure that not even ten seconds had passed before everything finally went still.

"Arsinoë, are you alright?" My savior asked frantically. I blinked, dazed and mind still rushing to digest what had just happened.

"I knew I shouldn't have woke up this morning." I grumbled irritably. Edward chuckled, sounding almost breathless with relief and I swore I felt him pull me closer to his side.

And then the full weight of what just happened finally hit me, and _holy shit I'd almost been crushed by a van ,_ "Are _you_ alright?" I asked, looking at him worriedly, because while I knew objectively that it'd take more damage than a flimsy van to injure any vampire, when someone literally throws themselves in front of you, you have the right to be concerned.

He seemed almost bemused at my concern, "I'm alright, thank you." He answered after a few moments, brows furrowed slightly as he regarded me, but I was still jittery with nerves, and his response wasn't entirely satisfying.

"Your hand isn't broken or anything?" I asked seriously, and this time he actually laughed a little, probably thinking me absurd, but I couldn't help it, it was a worrisome situation.

"I'm fine, Arsinoë," Edward told me, voice laced with amusement, "More importantly, I think you hit your head. You might have a concussion."

He was right about me hitting my head during the chaos, but I was sure that it wasn't as serious as he'd assumed, the pain had long disappeared.

"Don't move! An ambulance has been called and they will arrive shortly!" Mrs Cope called out, her voice was frantic. "Is anyone hurt?" She demanded, horror filling her voice.

"We're alright Mrs Cope." Edward answered, voice steady, ignoring all the other calls of people trying to check if we're alright.

"I don't have a concussion, I'm fine." I told him with a huff of exasperation.

The dark haired vampire looked unconvinced, "You don't know that," he said, but I shook my head stubbornly.

"I'm _fine_."

We were so close it was overwhelming, secluded in such a tight space with no choice but to press against each other. It made it hard to think when I was so completely enveloped in his scent. " You can let go of me." I said pushing at his chest softly in an attempt to get some breathing room. "I'm not about to faint or anything." I said to him, trying to smile reassuringly. He frowned, but nonetheless let me go. I missed the contact immediately, but being so close to him wasn't good for my heart.

The newfound space between us was still far less than I would have liked, and the whole thing felt awfully intimate, like it was two of us, disconnected from the rest of the world, but it was a little better than before.

"What's this?" He asked suddenly, picking up a sleek black object and looking at it in interest.

"Oh, my phone," I gasped in surprise. It must've fallen out of my pocket sometime during the chaos. I thanked the heavens it hadn't been crushed during everything. I pounced on it gratefully, hardly registering that I'd landed in his lap all over again, and pressed the power button. It lit up brightly, showing the screen-lock photo of Lucy and I using the doggy Snapchat filters, and I drew the pattern on the screen to unlock it. Much to my relief, it was fine, aside from a slight scratch at the back from where it had skid. I breathed a sigh of relief.

"What type of a phone is that?" Edward asked curiously from above me, and I froze in his lap.

My phone was a Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge, all fancy sleek lines and curved screen. It wasn't supposed to exist until ten years from now. And now, in my panic I had shown him a very advanced piece of technology which I'm sure with all of his contacts, he hadn't even heard of. And now he was suspicious of me. Which wasn't a good thing.

" _Shit_." Was all I could say.

* * *

The moment the nurses finally released me from their evil clutches after forcing me to get a cat scan, I slid my boots back on, grabbed my patient file, and left the room, ignoring Tyler's sputtered protests all the while.

If what I suspected was correct (and I had a feeling it would be, if we were following canon), then it would be Carlisle who came to examine me personally, and not some random doctor like I wanted. I couldn't let that happen, because Carlisle alone seeing my medical records was something I could begrudgingly accept, he was a good doctor, and knew the importance of patient confidentiality -but patient confidentiality meant jack shit when a mind-reader was in the room, and that was something I would not accept.

I snuck in the woman's bathroom, and dialed my father, hoping against hope, that he'd actually answer his private phone for the first time in his life.

The phone rang for over a minute, and just when I thought he wouldn't answer, he did. "Kitty-cat! How're you?" He asked, voice sounding genuinely happy to hear from me.

I didn't have time to waste, "Pa, I've been in an accident-"

" _What?_ " he demanded, but I quickly shushed him,

"I'm fine, I'm at the hospital and I'm not injured, but Pa, please, you _can't_ let them examine me, you just can't!" I begged fervently, and he made a sound of incomprehension.

 _"Kitty-cat,"_ he started reluctantly, obviously about to refuse, but I jumped in before he could.

"I'm fine, really I am. _Please_ Pa, call Aunt Anna if you have to, she can examine me at home, I'd rather have her, I _trust_ her." I stressed the word trust, so he'd understand what I meant, and prayed he caught on.

" _Ah, I see."_ He said, realization colouring his tone, and thank the Gods that it did, _"Which hospital are you at? I'll call in and see what I can do."_

I gave him the name, and after a promise to call later and explain just what the hell had happened, hung up with a great sigh of relief, because bullet _dodged_.

I went back to the room in much spirits than I'd left it, a smile of triumph on my face when I stepped in, knowing that I was practically home free.

"I'm so, so sorry, Noë. It all happened so fast. I hit the ice wrong and next thing I knew I'd lost control." Tyler apologised sincerely from his bed the moment I stepped back in. I gave him a smile, stepping to his bed side and patting his hand to reassure him, my file tucked under my other arm.

"Hey, its all good. No worries, Edward pulled me out of the way before anything could happen." I explained easily. Tyler looked confused, and his brows furrowed.

"Edward?" He asked, lost.

"Edward Cullen." I replied dryly. Tyler nodded, recognition dawning on his face.

"Well, as long as you're okay..." He said, brows still furrowed in concern, and I smiled again to reassure him, giving him one last pat before moving away.

Edward Cullen. I had no idea what I was supposed to say to him. The way he looked at me when I tried to stammer out a response made it clear that he was suspicious of me. I'd honestly had no idea how to answer his question about my phone and it'd been a tense five seconds after I'd uttered that single word.

Most people wouldn't be as worried as I was over a stupid phone. They would just construct a lie and be done with it. But Vampires were different. You couldn't lie to a vampire. Vampires were paranoid creatures. The Cullens already had enough reason to be suspicious of me, considering Edward couldn't read my mind and all, and now this was just another thing to add onto the list of ever growing mysteries.

It didn't bode well for my plan of lying low.

Just then, Edward swept in the room, and gave me a clear look of disapproval when he saw me on my feet.

I glared at him defiantly.

"Hey man, I'm really sorry-"Tyler started sincerely but Edward raised a hand to cut him off and shot him a kind smile, making my heart beat a little bit faster.

 _Control yourself, Arsinoë_

"It's alright. No blood, no foul." He said, then he chuckled a bit at his own joke and I just rolled my eyes, drawing his attention from Tyler.

The look of displeasure was back, but all I did was cross my arms and raise a brow at him.

"Why are you on your feet? You're supposed to be in bed." He frowned at the file in my hand, "And you're not supposed to have that."

My lips quirked victoriously, "I'm on my feet because I'm fine, even the nurses cleared me. And this is my file isn't it? I have the right to do what I want with it." I told him.

He crossed his own arms, clearly not about to go down without a fight, "Your supposed to have an actual doctor examine you, Arsinoë." Edward said, voice sounding a mix between exasperated and frustrated.

My smile widened, "No need, I assure you."

And just as I said that, the doors opened and in walked in the most beautiful doctor I'd ever seen in my life.

Carlisle Cullen was a sight to see. No wonder all the nurses fawned over him, and I wouldn't be surprised if women -and some men- injured themselves purposely just to be treated by him.

He was like Edward, there was just no way to describe him, with his perfect silver hair and golden eyes. And then a cough snapped me out of my daze and I looked to my right to see Edward with his arms crossed and glowering at his father and I. I gave him a look of confusion, but didn't say anything.

"Mss Zeidan, it seems you won't need to be examined after all." Carlisle said, a slight furrow between his brows as his golden eyes flickered between his son and I, clearly catching onto the tension. Tyler, who'd been quietly watching from the background, had wisely been silent during the whole affair.

Edward wasn't pleased, "But-" He started, but I didn't let him.

"I'm terribly sorry for the inconvenience, Sir. I'm sure you have more important patients to attend to, so I'll just be going then. Thanks so much for everything!" I said cheerfully, before hastily booking it out the room before I could be stopped, my patient file still in hand.

I barely cleared the hallway and made it to the elevator before Edward was upon me, backing me up against a wall with an expression that said I wouldn't be getting away as easily as I'd hoped. Honestly, as I stared at the metal doors of the elevator, I contemplated just trying my luck and lunging for them, but I knew very well that I wasn't nearly fast enough. There was no one else down this corridor, so I couldn't even use a third party to escape. I contemplated, just for second, faking sickness and pretending to pass out, but the idea was discarded even before it was fully formed.

Instead, I squared my shoulders and stared right up at him, holding the file behind my back so he couldn't reach it in case he tried.

"Edward," I acknowledged in a neutral voice. "Might I ask _why_ you've decided to physically prevent my departure?"

"You owe me an explanation." He declared simply.

I sniffed, "I owe you nothing."

"Think of it as a thank you for saving your life then." He said, smirking.

"And here I thought you'd done it out of the kindness of your heart." I drawled, frowning at him, before relenting, albeit reluctantly. He was right, he had saved me from imminent death, and for that I _did_ owe him. "Alright, I'll give you your explanation, though I'm afraid I don't know what you're referring to."

"The phone, Arsinoë." He said pointedly, and I blinked unsuspectingly, going for innocence.

"Its just that, a phone. I don't understand why you're making such a big deal about it." I replied with a nonchalant shrug.

Edward didn't buy my act, instead he simply rose a dark brow at me, "Ah, but its not _just_ the phone, impressive as it may be." He said airily, and my brows furred in confusion, "The cultural references no one understands, your occasional slip ups regarding the dates, music that by all rights, doesn't exist, lack of knowledge regarding current events -the list goes on." He said, and my insides froze.

"I don't know what you mean." I said, and he looked almost insulted that I doubted his intelligence so much.

"Don't you? So you don't accidentally write 'twenty-sixteen' as the year in your notebook, on multiple occasion?" He inquired, head tilted slightly as he stared down at me.

And fuck because I did, so often that even Mr Banner had jokingly called me out on it during class at one point. It was a habit I still wasn't able to shake off, try as I might.

But I hadn't thought that Edward had been paying so much attention to me, especially because we hadn't known each other all that long, but such a notion was a foolish thing on my part. The guy was a Mind-reading Vampire, he noticed _everything._

Well if he wanted to play it that way...

Gathering my courage, I stared back at him unflinchingly, "Just _how_ did you get to me so fast, Edward?" I hummed pleasantly, and abruptly his expression turned to stone, his golden eyes darkening, and I gave myself a mental pat on the back. He'd underestimated me, probably thought I'd bow easily and spill all my secrets, but if there was one thing about me, its that I was stubborn.

Edward tried for diplomacy, friendliness even, and he had such good control over his masks that I had to marvel. "What are you talking about? I was right next to you." He said, voice even and reasonable, as if _I_ were the one being totally absurd. If it was anyone else, they would've believed it no questions asked. He may not have had Jasper's gift of influencing others, but I had no doubt that Edward wasn't talented in his own right.

I smiled, "Oh were you?" I hummed thoughtfully, placing a finger on my chin in faux a contemplation, "Hmm, no. No I don't think you were. In fact, I _distinctly_ remember you being all the way across the parking lot."

"I was standing right next you and pulled you out of the way." He said, tone steady and yet light. The perfect way to deceive anyone, but I wasn't having it.

"How'd you do it?" I asked again, smiling wider, "Flight? Teleportation? _super-speed_?" I said the last option intentionally, leaving no room to mistake the true meaning of my words. If he was going to confront me about my existence in this world, I sure as hell wouldn't go down easily.

A positively animalistic hiss sounded from him, the kind that no human vocal chords could make, because he _wasn't_ human, and I should never forget that. He took a menacing step closer, _"What do you know?"_ He demanded, voice deadly enough to fell even the strongest of warriors.

But good sense had long left me, and I didn't back down. I took a step closer, closing the distance between us, and at this point my smirk was positively predatory.

I was being stupid, careless, reckless, all that I knew. I had nothing to back up my brazenness, but I was too far gone to care. I felt an odd disconnection from the whole thing, and I guessed that was mostly what was fulling me to go on, like someone else had taken over my body and garnered full control.

"Don't involve yourself in things that don't concern you." I said simply, the words forming of their own volition.

Another hiss, more dangerous than the last, his eyes practically the black they'd been when I'd first met him, blazing coldly, and if I'd been in my right mind, his demeanor would have been enough to take me down for the count. As I was though, I couldn't be bothered to feel more than amusement.

Suddenly, we were interrupted by the elevator doors opening, a young looking nurse stepping out from it. She dropped her tray of medical tools with a loud gasp when she picked up on just how tense the atmosphere was, her eyes clicking between the two of us like she was watching a tennis match, metal tray discarded at her feet.

I chose that opportunity to escape, quickly stepping in just before the doors closed.

The last thing I saw were Edward's cold, glaring onyx eyes narrowed at me.

* * *

Jessica had kindly dropped me home, genuinely worried about my well being and constantly inquiring if I needed anything, to which I could only numbly reply with halfhearted words to alleviate her fears. She also retrieved my backpack from the scene of the accident for me, bless her, and after bidding me goodbye and wishing me well, and a command to call if I needed anything, she drove off with a wave. I waited till she was out of sight, before my forced smile slipped off and died a pitiful death. I stumbled up the drive way on jellylegs and barely managed to enter the house without falling over.

"Oh Gods." I breathed in horror, immediately collapsing at the threshold upon closing the door behind me. I sat leaning dumbly on our entrance door, my legs bonelessly flopped in front of me, my arms limp at my sides. I stared at our large foyer, sightlessly gazing up the stairs that led to the second floor, my mind only just pulling itself together.

" _Oh_ _Gods_." I gasped desperately, because what in the name of all things holy, had possessed me to go against a fully grown, powerful vampire with an appetite for my blood?

 _"Have mercy on my soul, Anubis, for I have been an idiot, and probably won't live to see tomorrow morning."_ I prayed fervently in Arabic, clapping my hands together and hoping with all hope that I'd be heard.

Because Edward was surely developing a plan to murder me right now, conversing with Jasper and Rosalie about the best way to do it without implicating their family. I could see it already, they knew my aunt was gone, that no one would likely pay me a visit, they'd come in the night while I was asleep and quietly suffocate me to death, and when my body was finally discovered after a few days, the doctors would probably just chalk it up to a random sickness. Carlisle as kind as he was, would do anything to protect his family, and him being a respected doctor at Forks General Hospital didn't help me much. If he decided to say I died from a spontaneous Ebola contraction, the fuck, Ebola it was.

Slowly I curled up into a fetal position, uncaring of the cold tile beneath me, and wrapped my arms around myself in an attempt to comfort myself.

Its fine, I thought. I'd had a long run, dying at seventeen years old wasn't so bad, really, and anyway it felt more like seventy instead, with how weary I was inside. All I good do was just accept it and move on, maybe write a will too.

It'd be unfortunate of course, that I wouldn't see Lucy or my family once last time, and poor Aunty Zaho and Nina, they'd come home and find me dead, and probably blame themselves for the rest of their lives. I made a mental note to write a letter to them, ' _No guys, It wasn't your fault, I was just killed by my own idiocy'_

Yeah, that would do nicely.

I took a deep breath and told myself that it would all be okay, and maybe even me 'dying' would send me back to my original world, and I could thus pretend that everything had been a bad dream.

I didn't even know what had happened, the whole encounter was all a hazy image in my head, as if it had happened many years ago instead of less than an hour previous. I didn't understand what had spurred me on to such extreme levels, because sure I was pretty brave on my own, I wasn't stupid enough to goad a vampire. And that was the problem; I hadn't felt like myself at all. It felt instead like someone else had taken the reigns and was directing it all despite my own will. I worried that this was a sign of me showing a tendency for disassociation all over again, something I hadn't done in over a year.

Pull yourself together, a voice inside me commanded in a no-nonsense tone, and I nodded in confirmation, agreeing with it. I pushed myself up in an upright position, getting to my feet with a look of determination on my face.

I couldn't just flop down and let myself go, no matter how hopeless the situation might've seemed. Even if I was about to be killed by a bunch of murderous vampires, I most definitely wouldn't make the job easy.

You're _strong,_ a voice that sounded remarkably like Lucianna reminded me, and my fists clenched tightly.

"I'm strong." I repeated with a smile.


	5. Chapter 5

**Ah, how the week passes by so fast~**

 **I'm fifteen minutes late in updating, but eh, whatever.**

 **Hiii guys! How've you all been? I've been great, more than great, excellent actually! Life has been pretty good to me this week!**

 **Anyway, I'm glad the last chapter was well received, and you guys like the new changes. Annnnd I hope you guys like this one too! More changes, Edward knows that she knows but not how she knows, but not to worry, we'll see more of what that means next chapter.**

 **Thank you to all who faved and followed and the reviewers -you guys are** _ **especially**_ **appreciated (coughcoughfewasyouarecoughcough) :)**

 **Con crit is very well received!**

 **Review?**

* * *

There must've been a God up there looking out for me, because despite my fears, no one came for me that night. No matter how long I lay wide awake in my bed, just waiting to hear my balcony doors open and feel the approaching presence of a vampire on a mission, they never came, and it was with a poignant sense of bafflement that I found myself still alive with all my limbs intact when sunrise came along.

That didn't mean I was placated however, and in my cowardice, I chose to skip classes that day.

And the next.

And for the rest of the week.

Yes, alright, it was blatant attempt to run away from the confrontation that awaited me at the school, and I knew, _knew very well,_ that delaying it would only make things worse, but for Ra's sake - how could I be expected to face a vampire after revealing to said vampire that I knew they were a vampire also taking in the fact that it was against vampire laws for a human to know of the existence of a vampire?

That whole week I was a hot mess, every little sound made me jump and my eyes flitter to every corner almost manically, paranoia ran rampant within me, and I couldn't bring myself to sleep for fear that if I shut my eyes for just a minute, they'd take their chance and I'd never wake again.

But they didn't, and that only made things worse for me. Why hadn't they come? What were they waiting for? Were they trying to lull me into a false sense of security?

I remembered with extreme clarity the deep hostility in Edward's eyes, the threatening hiss from his chest, and sat up every night waiting for him to just come and finish me off, and when a new day arose I was once again left with a feeling of utter befuddlement because _why_?

My friends from school paid me a call on the second day of my absence to inquire about my well being, but I'd fed them a lie and claimed a particularly harsh cold, and when they offered to come over, Eric even promising to bring me my known favorite Apple pie, I kindly but firmly declined with a warning that I was highly contagious.

I also managed to stave off a visit from my Aunt Ana, who after an explanation from my father of the accident (whom I'd also just barely kept from flying over to see me), had insisted on multiple occasions to come check up on me herself. I'd calmly explained that I had nothing more than the occasional headache, and for that I was taking normal painkillers, and was otherwise okay.

All in all, despite my heavy paranoia, my week passed uneventfully. I did my normal exercise routine in the backyard every morning, I forced myself to eat a wholesome breakfast, and occupied myself through variois mundane activities throughout the rest of the day -tv, browsing the internet, working ahead in my school work, napping or simply just heading back outside to lie on the damp grass and staring at the cloudy skies, contemplating whether or not this was indeed reality.

And when Sunday came, heralding the arrival of Nina and My aunt and we sat on the backyard veranda together as the former calmly read Mary Shelley'd Frankenstein with a cup of tea on the glass table in front of her, and the former did my hair doing my hair while chattering genially about the events of my week, it was with a sense of resignation that I realized I could no longer evade the inevitable.

* * *

"Habibi, are you alright?" Aunty Zaho asked me the following morning at breakfast, a frown of concern marring her face. Nina as well, paused where she was munching on some fruit muesli to give me a worried look.

I forced a smile, "Oh yes, I'm fine, I just didn't sleep very well is all, but really, I'm okay." I said in what I hoped to be a convincing tone.

The blonde woman was dubious, "Your aunt's right, Noë, you look more like you're marching to war than anything," she pointed out, "Are you sure something isn't the matter? Are you still having headaches from the accident?"

I just laughed and shook my head, "Again, I just didn't sleep well, there's a history paper due today and I was up editing it, that's all."

This time Nina looked appeased, and my aunt patted my hand gently, "Don't worry, I _know_ you did well." She told me, full of confidence, and I gave her a small smile, before returning to my previous actions of swirling the coco pops around in my milk.

In reality, I was feeling bad, a feeling of dread inhabiting my stomach and staving off any type of appetite I might have had. It'd become my constant companion since I'd awoken that early morning, staying with me all through my usual routine up till now, and I had a feeling it would remain with me for the whole day, until something potentially catastrophic happened to validate its presence.

I sighed inwardly and forced myself to eat if only a little, knowing I'd only regret it later, and tried not to show much discomfort too much.

Twenty minutes later found me sitting in the school parking lot, clutching the steering wheel with a death grip and doing the breathing exercises my psychologist had repeatedly instructed me to do in times of extreme stress, and right now, I was feeling _extremely stessful._

I was early, earlier than even most of the teachers, the normally vibrant and busy lot was completely empty, save for mine and two other cars. The longer I started at the empty Cullen parking space, the more I regretted my sudden impulse to wake up a whole two hours earlier to get ready and be on the move, because now my mind was quite literally a screeching mess as I panicked over just what fate awaited me when I saw them again. It would've been better to be late, then I wouldn't have had to wait while running over multiple scenarios about being led into the thick forest behind the school and murdered there.

 _Breathe_ Arsinoë, I reminded myself when the prospect almost sent me into hysterics.

Abruptly I let go of the steering wheel and switched the engine on again, putting up the stereo's volume in an attempt to distract myself, focusing instead on calming down, closing my eyes and listening to Solange's soothing tones.

Time passed quickly like this, with me concentrating on my breathing and trying not to have a complete melt down, and before I knew it, it was quarter to eight and someone was knocking on my window.

My eyes popped open and I jumped in my seat, my neck snapping to see who it was -and praying it wasn't who I _feared_ it was.

Luckily for me, it was just Mike. Good old Mike with his sunshine blonde hair and boyish grin. I breathed a sigh of relief and shut off the ignition, grabbing my backpack and hopping out with a small, though no less genuine, smile of my own.

"You're alive!" He exclaimed teasingly, giving me a friendly hug, and I laughed, returning it with a squeeze before stepping back.

"I was dead, but then I remembered the history paper we had due today," sighing exaggeratedly, I added, "Homework haunts you even in the afterlife, man, its rough."

The blonde made a faux noise of sympathy, nodding grimly, "No rest for the tormented highschool student." He replied, tone somber.

I snorted in amusement, and was thankfully when I could feel my mood lightening. I'd always liked Mike, he was funny and cheerful, and like with most people in the Twilight franchise, had been subjected to Bella's unfair opinions. I tried to dissuade his crush on me, but he himself wasn't overbearing and was a genuine friend, so his affections rarely showed themselves.

"But you are feeling better, aren't you?" He inquired, genuinely concerned, and I waved my hand dismissively.

"I'm okay, thank you." I said, "It was just a cold, nothing too bad."

Mike looked relieved, "That's good. We would've come to see you if you hadn't come to school today." He said.

And then a new voice;

"Arsinoë, would you mind speaking with me for a moment?"

I tensed, immediately recognizing the person it belonged to. I wondered idly, if this was it, if it was finally time for things to come to a head.

"Edward," I acknowledged, turning around to address him directly. He stood with an unassuming smile, bronze hair in its usual disarray, eyes back to their striking molten gold and dressed smartly in a dark peacoat, grey scarf and dark jeans tucked into brown shoes, looking for all the world like he was a model advertising winter clothing than a supposed highschool student. I gave him my own fake smile and answered, "Of course."

I didn't have much of a choice in the first place.

Mike's blue eyes flickered between us with confusion, and another emotion I couldn't identify, and after giving him an apologetic look, followed Edward as he led me behind the cafeteria building to a secluded spot, a few feet away from the mouth of the forest. For a second, I genuinely worried he'd chosen this spot to get rid of me, before I hastily chastised myself. He wouldn't he so dumb as to do it so close to potential witnesses.

"Fine day we're having isn't it?" I couldn't help but say first, one last attempt to stall for time.

Obviously I failed, "You were gone last week." The vampire declared, an echo of my words to him the previous week.

I shrugged, "I was sick."

He raised a brow at me, "Were you?"

"Yes." I answered simply.

"That's quite unfortunate. I'm glad you're feeling better now." He said in a drab voice, clearly disbelieving, and I made a vague sound of agreement at the back of my throat.

There was a brief silence as we watched each other, the air thick with the tension of unsaid words and hidden truths, until finally he sighed softly, "Firstly, I'd like to apologize for my behavior on Tuesday. It was rude of me to be so..." Here there was a split second pause as he searched for the right word, "Abrasive." He settled eventually, mouth down turned in displeasure.

And wasn't that a surprise, the fact that he felt the need to apologies at all - yes maybe he had started it, but I wasn't exactly blameless either. I regarded him carefully for a second, but when I realized just how genuine he was being, could only relent. "Apology accepted." I said.

At the least, it was nice knowing I wouldn't be killed anymore. Probably.

Satisfied, Edward nodded once, before speaking again, "Regarding what you said about-"

And there I cut him off, because I already knew what he was referring to. "I won't tell anyone, no one will find out, I promise." I said honestly, and his eyes darkened.

"So you _do_ know." He muttered mostly to himself, sounding resigned and running a frustrated hand through his hair. I bit my lip unsurely, and tried to make myself seem as genuine as possible, because I _was -_ it had never been in any of my plans to revealing what his family was. All I'd wanted was to lay low and find my way back to my own world without causing waves.

Clearly it hadn't worked out quite as I'd wanted, but my principles remained the same, "Yes, but as I said, I'll keep my mouth shut, you can rest assured of that." I tried again, placing every bit of my honesty in my tone.

" _How_ did you even find out?" He asked, frowning at me. The wind blew around us, rustling the trees behind us, and then it was my turn to sigh.

"It's complicated." I replied, shoulders slumping. The warning bell chose that moment to ring, and I rejoiced; saved by the bell indeed. "Either way, you have my word."

He looked like he had more to say, eyes holding innumerable questions, possibly even about my own secrets, but I quickly fled before he could voice any of them.

* * *

More than a month passed.

A whole month and a half passed and he didn't say _one_ word to me. I didn't know why it came as such as surprise either - coupled with the way our last conversation ended, and my knowledge of his family's secrets, he was probably trying to limit contact as much as possible for his own good. Still, I found myself slightly conflicted on how to feel regarding his behavior, perhaps a foolish part of me thought we could even be _friends,_ considering the lack of need of secrecy. Nonetheless, I was wrong in my assumption and was promptly and efficiently ignored. He ignored me so bad even, that when I sat with him, I actually began to doubt my own existence.

I _did_ try to speak with him, maybe even apologise for my own, quite frankly, abysmal behavior the day of the accident, but faced with a stoney wall of silence, I let my olive branc drop and proceeded to ignore him too. I decided after much reflection, that Edward had it right, halting any interaction between us was the right thing to do. It was a tense forty-five minutes of Biology each class, to the point that even our teacher picked up on it and gave us curious looks whenever we wouldn't even look at each other during a 'paired' assignment. Thankfully, he didn't comment, as long as we got the work done properly, he didn't really care.

Lunch was much the same too. Edward didn't look at me, nor I at him. Eventually, I forgot about him and continued on with my life in relative peace and tranquility.

That's a lie.

Really, I _should_ have been happy that he wasn't paying me any regard, because that meant less potential problems for me in the future. Getting attached was dangerous, I'd already made a mistake by allowing myself to make such good friends with my lunch group, I knew this very well, and yet it still hurt when he didn't even glance in my direction when I took a seat next to him during class.

But like I promised him, I didn't tell anyone the truth about the accident and stuck with the lie of him standing right next to me and pulling me away. Everyone believed me easily, finding no reason to question my claims, but I did also wonder why no one had seen him standing by his car. Even Angela, who had been with me at the time. I wondered if this was a part of the reality my mind had fabricated; A subconscious desire to be taken at face-value about anything and everything I said.

If that were true, well, I could see why I would want it.

Talking about Angela, as soon as she'd thanked me excessively for saving her life by pushing her out the way, and apologized for panicked during the incident. I told her that it was alright, and that I didn't blame her. Quite honestly, it would've been a traumatic experience for anyone and I was just glad she was safe. Much to my dismay, the next day she brought me a hand-baked batch of Red Velvet cupcakes as a gift, and I shamefully must admit that I ate most of them on the spot.

Who was I to decline free food?

All that aside though, that month and a half was not a good time for me. Perhaps it was the inexplicable sadness from being ignored by Edward (and what a silly girl I was for even letting him get to me), or the fact that I _still_ hadn't woken up from this strange reality, no matter what I tried, but I sunk into a low spot. I avoided everyone by mumbling excuses about having to go to the library for extra credit work and claimed fatigue when I didn't engage in debates as I normally did.. They agreed without a fuss most times, but I occasionally thought I saw Angela giving me curious looks once in a while. My aunt and Nina worried as well but I placated them by saying it really wasn't as serious as it seemed and no, I didn't need to make _the_ phone call. Reluctantly, they let me be, and luckily didn't inform my parents.

Plans were made to go to beach, as expected and I was invited, which was also expected. I declined though. Not because of the Quileute's, but because I didn't really like going to the beach with too many people. In fact, I preferred going alone. Most times in the evening to watch the sunset. Sometimes, Lucianna would come with me and we would dance around a fire and watch the stars when the tide was low. That's another thing that got me down during that month. I missed my friend. Even if she was the cause of this whole mess (at least I thought so). She was my bestfriend, and we were really close. Lucianna had always been my support, always there when I needed her, and the fact that she _wasn't_ only served to make me even more depressed.

I met with Esme frequently however, chatting pleasantly over coffee at the café which had now become our usual meetup spot. She couldn't replace Lucianna, but she was a source of comfort and support. The one thing however that struck me as odd was her continuous attempt to keep up her charade. She drank the coffee without a visible sign of discomfort, made sure to move at human speeds at all times and not do anything that could possibly jeopardize her cover, and not once did she mention or make allusion to the fact that I was actually aware of her secret.

Had Edward just not told her?

And it wasn't just Esme either, none of his siblings were being more hostile than usual, not shooting me the death glares I'd expect after they found out of my knowledge of their inhuman status. Hell, Rosalie hadn't even _glanced_ at me.

Had Edward not told any of them?

It was confusing, and I could find no reason for him to hide the truth from his own family, no matter how long I spent pondering his motives. Why hadn't he informed them of such a big thing? What was making him keep quiet about it? Unfortunately, I could find no answers, and was forced to resign myself to a state of ignorance regarding it.

On another note, the spring dance was approaching and everyone was excited for it, already planning their dates and outfits despite it not being for at least three weeks. Personally, I didn't feel much regarding it, -except maybe vague amusement at the flustered state it put the school in- as I had no plans to attend. I really was going to Seattle that day.

My mother had arranged a check-up for me, 'just to see how I was doing', she'd genially said, and though I didn't buy her jovial demeanor, I'd agreed nonetheless. Maybe I'd find an actual solution by going, or maybe I really was condemned to this faux-realit forever.

Either way, it would do me some good to finally figure out what was going on.

That morning I woke up pretty sluggishly (playing Marble Legend all night does that to you) and took my time in getting ready. I washed slower than a snail ever could, brushed my teeth using all the time in the world and languidly blow dried my hair. Even eating breakfast was a chill event, to the point that I even had a second bowl of Coco Pops. Nina gave me a pointed look when she saw me do that but didn't comment. Her eyes said enough. "You and me are going to have a _real_ workout session soon" they said.

As if everything we been doing every morning was fake. I huffed and ignored her but inwardly I was dreading it. Already a session with her was worse than being sent through a meat grinder, I couldn't imagine what she'd make me endure if she was determined.

She was right though, during my three months in this world, we'do only been doing light exercises, and that was unacceptable. If I slacked off any more, my older brother Larz would actually have a chance to tease me next time we saw each other.

I left for school in a hurry after that and made it just before the bell rang to signal the start of it, the consequences of my slothfulness catching up with me. The morning passed quickly, though I was surprised to see Jessica looking like her puppy had just died during lunch. I suspected Mike had declined her invitation to the dance in three weeks. She'd called me the previous night to ask me if it was okay if she could ask him. I easily reassured her that it was no problem and that I wouldn't even be attending. She'd tried (quite genuinely, to my surprise) to get me to come but me being me, just told her no in the most no-nonsense t voice I could muster.

By the time lunch rolled around, I was pretty sure Mike had indeed said no, and judging from how they were sitting on complete opposite sides of the table, and how she was chatting up Eric, I was correct in my assumption. I think her goal was to make him jealous, but Mike was silent all through his meal and even more so when he walked with me to Biology. The look of discomfort on his face was concerning, but for the life of me, I couldn't figure out what was wrong. He didn't talk to me at all, like he usually did, and instead perched himself on my desk waiting for class to start. I gave him a curious look, wondering why he was behaving so oddly, but eventually let it go and busied myself by going over my homework from the night before (while Edward ignored us both) while half contemplating what would happen if I tried to stab my seating companion.

"So," Mike started rather loudly, startling me from my musings. Much to my surprise, he was still sitting on the table. I looked at him expectantly, waiting for him to speak and finally reveal what was bothering him.

"Jessica asked me to the spring dance today." He said nervously. I nodded in acceptance and smiled.

"Good for you then." Was my honest reply. I saw Edward tilt his head slightly in our direction, obviously paying attention to our conversation and tried not to frown.

"Well," He floundered for a response after seeing my encouraging expression. He'd clearly not been expecting my response, "I told her I would think about it."

I paused in my tapping of my pen against my notebook and leveled him with a suspicious stare, which made him shrink away. Was he asking what I thought he was asking?

"Well...shouldn't you be thinking then, instead of telling me about this?" I asked pointedly.

Mike turned red as a tomato and looked down.

"I was, well…um…I was wondering if, if you might be planning on asking me." He stammered out nervously, confirming my suspicions. Edward let out a small cough so quiet that I almost didn't hear it. He was probably laughing at my situation on the inside.

"Mike…" I said somewhat guiltily. I shouldn't have waited so long to discourage his attentions and now it was blowing up in my face. "I think you should tell her yes."

"Did you already ask someone?" I really hoped that Edward would be courteous enough to at least pretend that Mike's eyes hadn't flickered to him in that instant. I felt the guilt being replaced by annoyance.

"No." I assured him, noticing how my lab partner's head tilted a bit more to hear my reasoning. "I'm not going."

"Why not?" Mike all but demanded.

I frowned at him, "Quite frankly, its none of your business Mike, but if you _must_ know, I'm going to Seattle that day."

He seemed ashamed, "Can't you go another day?" He asked in a much calmer voice and I shook my head.

"Nope." I said, popping the 'P'. He sagged and I smiled at him, trying to cheer him up a bit. I felt guilty, he'd only kept pining for me because I hadn't been clear in my romantic disinterest. Now he was sad because I was a procrastinator. He was a good friend, always trying to cheer me up. He deserved better.

Giving him a smile, I poked his side hard, "You shouldn't make Jessica wait any longer. It's rude." I told him in an encouraging tone, and he nodded solemnly.

"Yeah, you're right."

I winced at his crestfallen tone, looking away as he trudged to his seat. Mr. Banner had just walked in when I opened to a fresh page in my notebook and quickly wrote the date, and then cursed when I wrote 2016 instead 2005 and was forced to cross it out to correct it. I sighed wearily, tugging at my hair hard in frustration, before glancing up.

Edward Cullen was staring at me curiously, frustration also present in his golden eyes. I wasn't so surprised, as defiant and I stared back at him expectantly, raising an eyebrow, just _daring_ him to comment on mymistake. He must've taken it as a challenge, because he didn't look away, instead just searched my gaze harder.

"Mr. Cullen?" the teacher called, waiting for the answer to a question I hadn't heard.

"The Krebs Cycle." He didn't even seem to think about the answer. It was correct, of course.

I huffed in annoyance, rolling my eyes and looking away.

I was relieved when the bell rang, eager to escape such stifling tension and expecting him to flee like normal, but I was surprised to see him watching me gather my things.

Oh, so today was the day he would talk to me again? Yippee. I should have been happy, ecstatic even because I'd been suffering from his silence for so long, and yet I wasn't. His mood swings were wild and erratic, and honestly, I was tired of them.

"Arsinoë?" The sound of my name on his lips should'nt have made me want to listen to whatever he had to say. No, it _really_ shouldn't have. I worked hard to keep my annoyance intact.

"A historic day! Is Edward Stick-up-his-ass Cullen actually talking to _me_?" I gasped, feigning surprise. Much to my satisfaction, I had managed an insult, which he had caught too, judging by the slight look of amusement on his face. It only made me angrier. He was supposed to be _offended_. The asshole. Real annoyance at my insult being completely disregarded reared its head and I glowered at him.

"No, not really." He answered, clearly fighting a smile.

I promptly turned on my heel and walked away. If he wasn't going to be serious, then I wasn't going to stay and be mocked. I heard a soft laugh and soon footsteps chasing after me, but I didn't stop until he grabbed my hand just as I made it out the classroom door.

I sighed heavily, closing my eyes wearily, "Edward, I'm not in the mood for this."

"I'm sorry." He said, and my eyes popped open once more in my surprise. My brows furrowed as I searched his face, but my expression softened when I registered the sincerity and seriousness of his apology. I cursed inwardly and berated myself; I was such a sucker when it came to him.

"I'm being very rude, I know. But trust me, it's better this way." He stated gravely. I huffed and snatched my hand away. He let go.

"Elaborate." I stated, putting a hand on my hip, holding my stuff in my other arm.

"We shouldn't be friends." He said, voice full of regret. I pursed my lips in displeasure.

"I gathered that, yes." I stated, tapping my foot against the ground impatiently. "Kind of hard not to when you've been pretending I don't exist for the last month and a half."

Edward looked guilty, "Trust me." He impeached. I stared at him in disbelief for a second.

Yes of course, I trusted in the fact that I was a bother to him and his family, a liability.

"Its too bad you didn't figure any of this out earlier," I hissed through my teeth, "You could have saved yourself all this regret."

"Regret?" He echoed, caught off guard by my blatant hostility. "Regret for what?"

I glared, "Regret for saving my life, obviously."

He was astonished clearly, by the way he regarded me in disbelief. "You think I _regret_ saving your life?" He sounded angry.

I felt like screaming! Obviously he did! I wasn't Bella, he didn't do it out of anything aside from obligation towards his family, lest I become a stain and Jasper reveal their whole secret. Did he think I was blind? Stupid? Despite my own damning feelings, I harbored no misconceptions about his own.

I was seething, "Of course, you do! Who am I, except some, some _irrelevant_ _stranger_ to you who's suddenly become an annoyance that knows more than she's supposed to just won't go away!" My voice was so heated that English had become a vague concept. I could barely pronounce the words correctly in my fury, my foreign tongue turning everything almost entirely unintelligable, and my accent shooting everything to hell besides. It was a wonder he understood anything I said at all.

Edward was livid. "You know _nothing_." He ground out, golden eyes cold and slowly darkening.

English was promptly thrown out the window. " _Neither do_ you!" I declared in Arabic just as angrily. The bell rang shrilly, interrupting us, and I gave an enraged huff, before turning and marching away.

* * *

By the time school ended later that day, however, I'd managed to control myself enough that I was no longer fuming, though speaking in proper English without fumbling was still a little hard. Whenever I got really angry, my brain had a tough time functioning as normal, and it took a while for everything to click back into place.

I basically ran to my car in my haste to get away. I wasn't totally okay, and all I wanted to do was go home and curl up under the covers with a jar of peanut butter and drown everything out with some music.

I almost had a stroke when I rounded a corner and saw a dark figure leaning against my passenger door -though my heart calmed when I saw that it was only Eric.

"Eric." I greeted, trying to pass as nonchalant.

He looked odd, and swallowed thickly. "Hi, Noë." He replied.

I stared at him with a frown, before looking away and reaching into my pocket, taking out my keys. "Why are you lurking about my car?" I asked, unlocking my car.

"Uh, I was just wondering...if you would go to the Spring Dance with me?" Eric asked, sounding hoarse.

I froze, and looked up at him. Was I mistaken? Wasn't it a Sally Hawkins dance? But I couldn't be, because even Jessica had asked Mike herself.

"Its girl's choice." I said tiredly, rubbing my eyes with the back of my hand and already at the limits of my patience.

"Well, yeah." He agreed, and I blinked. Why then, had I been asked, not just once, but twice today, when the rules clearly said that the girl was supposed to ask? "So then, why are you asking me?" I didn't understand.

"Um...Well, because you didn't ask me...and I wanted to know if you wanted to go with me?" He sounded unsure, and I frowned.

Were the boys at this school so inflated that they wouldn't even let a girl make her own choice?

"Did it ever occur to you, that if I wanted to go with you, I would have asked?"

Eric flushed crimson and shifted his weight awkwardly from foot to foot, but didnt reply. I sighed wearily, I was tired and I just wanted to go home.

"I'm not going to the dance, Eric. I'm going to Seattle that day."

"Oh." He mumbled, barely looking at me. "Maybe next time?"

"No." I stated quite clearly.

Eric slumped away at that, heading back for the school building and I sighed again. Suddenly I heard a low chuckle.

Edward was walking past the front of my car, lips pressed together and looking entirely innocent. I growled, annoyed all over again and got inside the car, slamming the door roughly closed and revving the engine, reversing into the aisle. Edward was already in his own car two spaces down, smoothly sliding out and cutting me off. He stopped there -to wait for his family. I could see them slowly waltzing to the car, taking their sweet time, and I resented them for it. At that moment I seriously contemplated driving into the back of his car, consequences be damned.

I took a deep breath to calm down before I did something I'd regret in the future and reached for my phone lying in the dashboard slot. I could wait, I could be patient, I wouldn't let him get to me. I needed to stop letting him have so much control over me, I was fine.

I chose a song by trusty Raspberry Blond, always able to calm me down, and sighed in satisfaction when the first notes filled the car.

A knock on my window made me jump in surprise, and when I turned to see who it was, dread pooled within me. After a second, I rolled down the glass and lowered the music.

"Ah, Tyler, as you can see, I'm stuck behind Edward. Sorry, if that's what you're here for." I said gesturing to the silver in front of me.

I desperately hoped to the Gods that was what he was here for.

"Oh, I know," Tyler said, undeterred, "I just wanted to ask you something while we're trapped here." His grin was confident.

I was not.

I thought fast for a solution, and made a split second choice. I pasted on my widest grin and leaned forward. "Dude, you'll never believe what happened to me today!" I exclaimed dramatically, and he paused. "I think like four guys asked me to the dance! I told them I was going to Seattle that day, but you know what? One of them even said 'Oh I know, I just thought you were letting the others down easy." I declared, inserting clear annoyance in my voice.

Tyler's grin slowly slid off his face because that was exactly what he was going to say. "Can you believe how utterly arrogant and pigheaded some guys are? Its unbelievable, Tyler!" I exclaimed, throwing my hands in the air for added effect. "I'm serious when I say I'm not going to that dance, and I swear if anyone asks me again, I'll punch them in face!" I threatened, waving my fist for emphasis.

Then I smiled innocently at him as if I hadn't done anything. "But I know you're not like them, and obviously you won't ask me to the dance." I scoffed loudly, "The mere idea is absurd, am I right?" I grinned at him expectantly.

Tyler swallowed and nodded numbly. "Err, yeah." He agreed lamely. My grin widened.

"Awesome," I declared, this time smiling genuinely. I couldn't help but feel so much better now that I'd pulled my little act. It made me feel all foxy-sly. "So what was it that you wanted to ask me?"

"Oh, um...my grandmother wants to know if you'd like to visit sometime?" Tyler asked. I'd met the kindly Ivorian woman once, when she'd personally come to the school in order to apologize for her grandson's mistake, and she immediately took a liking to me and I her.

" _Of course._ " I answered, voice sugar sweet.

"Cool then." He said nodding and wringing his hands. "I'll uh, let her know." He beat a hasty retreat, and I grinned triumphantly.

I noticed the rest of the Cullens getting into the Volvo. Edward seemed to be laughing, and I caught his eye in his rearview mirror. I couldn't help but be amused, and I rose a brow exexpectantly. I knew _exactly_ why he was laughing, he'd been eavesdropping.

I should have been still angry with him, but my trick ovee Tyler had calmed me down exponentially, and I was feeling so much better.

Finally, when all his siblings were in, Edward sped away, and I sighed.

When I arrived, I found Nina and my Aunt in the process of making dinner, and joined them in the kitchen to help with what I could. It was _Koshari_ , and so my job was to mash the fava beans. While I was wrapping them in tin foil, the telephone rang in the foyer, and since I was the only one with clean hands, I was left to answer.

It was Jessica, and she was ecstatic; Mike had caught her after school to accept her invitation to the dance. I celebrated briefly with her while I sat on the stairs. After a while of listening to squeals piglets would be proud of, I eventually cut her off by innocently suggesting that Angela could take Eric, and maybe even Lauren could take Tyler, and they could make it a group thing. She took to the idea easily, and after trying once again to convince me to join them (to which I gave my Seattle excuse), she bid me farewell to go call the other girls.

I was mostly preoccupied after dinner, even when Nina tried to engage me in conversation as she helped me unbraid my hair. I was too busy going over my dispute with Edward from earlier in the day. I knew why he said what he did, he wasn't interested, I wouldn't delude myself into thinking otherwise. Bella was his soulmate -wherever the hell she was at the moment- and obviously no one would catch his attention like she could.

I berated myself for even giving him the time of day all, when I _knew_ very well that I couldn't be getting myself into anything. I wouldn't be here long anyway. There was no reason to feel a pang in my chest when I thought of him. I'd wake up, and everything would be back to normal and I'd be back in my Dublin apartment with Lucy.

That night before I slept, I upped the usual dosage of medicine from two pills to three.

* * *

I woke up feeling alive the next morning. I didn't even groan when I had to get out of bed.

I showered, scrubbing my hair throughly now that it was once again free, and brushed my teeth, all with a smile on my face.

I wondered how long my good mood would last.

Then I stared into my closet for a few minutes, in the mood to dress up, before deciding on a pair of black skinny jeans, a matching colored elbow length boyfriend shirt, and my favorite maroon suede booties with black laces in the front. I also wore my grey coat and my black suede gloves, because the weather was still cold, even though spring was on its way.

When I went downstairs, Aunty Zaho paused in her perusal of the latest Vogue issue to give me a once over and raised an eyebrow.

"You look good." She remarked casually, and Nina nodded in affirmation. I smiled brightly and said a chirpy "I _feel_ good!" causing her eyebrow to rise even higher.

"So, who're you trying to impress?" She asked bluntly and I laughed.

"Zehira, she doesn't have to dress up just to impress someone. She could be doing it for herself." Nina placed a bowl of fruit salad in front of me and I smiled gratefully.

"Thank _you_ , Nina." I stated pointedly. The blond woman winked at me in reply.

My aunt still didn't look entirely convinced, but hummed in acknowledgement at her friend's word. "Perhaps." She demured, green eyes twinkling. I laughed around my grape.

Nina rolled her eyes, but did do anything aside from sip her own cup of coffee. "Your mother called last night after you went upstairs." She told me, "She wants you to call her back before school." I sighed in resignation.

"I'll call her on the way." I declared, standing and shouldering my backpack. "I have to go, 'else I'll be late. Will I see you when I come back?" I asked my aunt.

"Sorry, I won't be here. I'm going to Seattle. The new store is almost ready and I need to go supervise. I'll be back by nine though." She explained and I nodded.

"Alright then. Bye Nina."

"See you later, Noë." Nina replied waving before I grabbed my keys and headed out.

I connected my phone's Bluetooth to the car so I could drive hands free, and dialed mother.

It rang three times before she picked up. " _Noë, my little kitty-cat!"_ She exclaimed happily. I smiled a little at the term of endearment, reversing out the drive way.

 _"Ma, good morning. How are you?_ " I asked. She sounded like she was in a agreeable mood and I sighed inwardly with relief. I'd been preparing myself for a quarrel.

" _I've been talking to your director, and I heard that you've been doing very, very well at school! My clever kitty-cat, Ma is so proud of you!_ " The car filled with the sound of her delighted laughter, and I could only huff fondly.

 _"I've been working hard._ " I said, turning onto the highway. And I had been -basically throwing myself into my books in an effort to distract myself from the current reality I was facing. I couldn't say it was the _best_ thing to do, but at least it made my report card look spick and span.

She made a sound of agreement. " _I_ know _you have, and you sound so much happier than when you left. I'm glad sending you to Forks was a good idea_." My mother sounded jubilant. " _Are you finally making yourself some friends? Found a boyfriend_?"

I almost swerved off my lane when she said that, and barely recovered in time. I chuckled awkwardly, " _Eh, Ma, you know I don't have time for that."_ I said.

 _"Oh -well, at least you're happy. That's what matters for now._ " She declared firmly. I sighed, but didn't answer. For all our differences, I knew my mother loved me, in her own strict way, and I didn't want to rain on her parade by ruining her mood.

" _Yes, Ma._ " I answered, turning into the school.

I pulled into the parking lot and deliberately parked as far as possible from the Silver Volvo already there. I didn't need temptation,lest I decided to total it by ramming into the back of his car.

I unbuckled my seatbelt and disconnected my phone, placing it against my ear. _"Now, I'm actually calling, because I heard it was Spring Break soon, and I was wondering if you wanted to come home with me for that weekend?_ " She asked, much to my surprise. " _I have to jet over for a quick meeting, and I thought we could catch up. Spend some time together."_

" _Home as in Alexandria?"_ I asked incredulously. She made an impatient sound.

 _"Last I checked, that's where your home is, yes._ " I could just _see_ her eye roll.

Only she would propose a 'quick weekend' trip halfway across the world.

I got out the car, adjusting my bag on my back and closed the driver's door. " _Ma, isn't that a bit, unnecessary? Its only for two days, and anyway, I have that doctor's appointment remember?"_

She scoffed. " _We can always reschedule, not a problem._ "

I dropped the car keys in my hand from shock at her words. Who was this woman and what had she done with my mother?

As I bent down, a white hand grabbed it before I could, and I jerked upright to see Edward next to me, leaning casually against the front of my car, nonchalantly examining my diamond keychain.

I stared at him for a moment, before remembering my mother. _"Ma, I'll -ah, call you back later. Class is about to start. Love you._ " I hung up before she could reply.

Belatedly, I realized what I'd just done.

"How do you do that?" I asked irritably, sliding my phone into my pocket. No, I wasn't referring to his speed, but his abilty to get me to drop everything I was doing and pay him my full attention. Today, he was wearing a pair of dark grey jeans tucked into black laced calf-length boots, a slightly lighter grey shirt and a light black coat on top. His hair of course, looked windswept like every other day and he had a smirk on which would make every woman (and man) turn into a puddle of goo.

I cursed my inability to disregard him. I felt like throttling him because of it.

"Do what?" He asked innocently, taking my hand and dropping the key in it. I was happy to note that he was willing to at least touch me…But maybe it was only because I had gloves on, so I couldn't feel his cold temperature.

I thought quickly for a reply. "Just 'appear' out of thin air." I said, adding the quotation marks with my fingers. His smirk grew, revealing his sharp and blindingly white teeth.

"Arsinoë, it's not my fault that you are exceptionally unobservant." He stated, his voice was soft as usual, but clear.

I scowled at him.

"Why the traffic jam yesterday?" I asked, changing the subject. "I thought you were determined to ignore me out of existence. Not _annoy_ me." I said, crossing my arms and leaning against the driver's door.

"That was for Tyler's sake, not mine. I had to give him his chance." He told me, amusement evident on his handsome face.

"You're so-!" I couldn't even find the right word to describe him, I was that irritated. I wished the heat of my anger would physically burn him, but he only seemed more amused.

"And I'm not pretending you don't exist." He stated. I rolled my eyes.

"So you _are_ trying to irritate me to death? Since Tyler's van didn't do the job." I questioned, exasperated.

"You are utterly absurd." His voice was back to its startling cold, all traces of humour gone. I turned on my heel and walked away without a word. I was under no obligation to deal with his nonsense.

"Wait." He called out, but I kept walking. It was no use though, he easily kept pace with me.

"I apologise, that was rude." I didn't answer. "I'm not saying it wasn't true, but it was rude to say, nonetheless."

"Why won't you leave me alone?" I grumbled.

He was making everything so complicated, messing me up on the inside. I didn't like being so entirely at his mercy, attachment was not a good thing in my case, and yet he wasn't making anything easier for me.

"My intention was to ask you something, but you sidetracked me." He chuckled. Apparently, he was in a good mood again.

His mood swings were pissing me off and I wondered if he had multiple personality disorder. He switched moods faster than even I did, and I could find no other explanation.

"See? You're doing it again." He pointed out when I voiced my question, still grinning and I sighed, shaking my head.

"Excuse me then. What was it you wanted to ask?" I queried, raising an eyebrow.

"I was wondering if, a week from Sunday –You know the day of the spring dance-"But I cut him off.

"Don't do it, Edward." I stated threateningly.

"Would you kindly let me finish?" He huffed and I nodded.

"Fine."

"I heard you were going to Seattle that day and I was wondering if you wanted a ride?" He asked. I blinked.

"What?" I asked in confusion.

"Do you want a ride to Seattle?" He asked again.

"With who?" I couldn't help but ask. Surely he couldn't be talking about himself.

"Myself, _obviously_." Edward enunciated every syllable as if he were talking to someone mentally handicapped. Which, I didn't much appreciate.

My brows furrowed and I squinted at him suspiciously. "...Why?" I asked warily. For what reason could get possibly want to go with _me_ , Arsinoë Zeidan for? I didn't understand. He didn't like me, so why would willingly condemn himself to my company?

"Well to be honest, I was planning on going to Seattle in the near future and I suppose this was the best option. Why not go together and save on gas?" He asked, and it was a logical response.

I still didn't buy it.

"I don't see how that's important Edward." I told him. Why couldn't he just tell the truth, and say the _real_ reason, whatever it was.

"The wasting of finite resources is very important Arsinoë." He retorted.

"Are you going to interrogate me? Dig for information?" I asked warily.

He shrugged, "I _am_ undoubtedly curious." He told me, apparently unconcerned despite the fact that I'd just called him out on his true motives. He held out a hand to stop me from replying, and smiled at, "I'm mostly trying to be friendly, however."

I _still_ didn't trust him.

"I thought you didn't _want_ to be my friend." I said to him, raising an eyebrow. He shook his head.

"I said that it would be _better_ if weren't, not that I didn't want to be." He clarified, and I gave him a dry look.

"Oh, okay, now that's all cleared up." My voice was dripping with enough sarcasm to kill a small rodent.

"It would be more…prudent for you not to be my friend, all things considered," he clarified. "But I'm _tired_ of trying to stay away from you, Arsinoë." His eyes were superbly intense now, making my heart stop momentarily as I stared into them, but I caught myself quickly and sighed heavily.

I didn't understand him, he was entirely too confusing for my mind to make sense of, but I knew that I didn't have the willpower to deny him anything either.

"We'd have to take my car." I stated and was amused to see his eyes light up, eagerness shining through.

"Not a problem, I've wanted to drive it for a while." He stated and I gave him a pointed look. He automatically assumed that he would drive. Typical.

"And I play my music loudly…" I warned, reading his expression.

"I'm curious about your taste in music. It's interesting, from the bits I hear." He spoke and I shook my head in resignation.

"Alright, fine," I acquiesced finally with the air of someone condemned to a hanging. My mother was right, I could always reschedule my appointment.

He smiled once more, making my chest want to explode and nodded, a smug smirk forming on his face.

"You really should stay away from me." He stated and just like that, walked away from me, seconds before the bell rang.

I sighed. I was getting myself into deep shit, and I knew it.


	6. Chapter 6

**I totally forgot today was Saturday loool.**

 **How are you guys? Good week? Mine was tiring, but good. As always, thanks to all those who faved and followed and reviewed, and for just generally reading this fic. You are all loved and appreciated.**

 **Hope you like this chapter, and Edward's portrayal in general. I was a bit worried I didn't get him right. Also, he doesn't actually** _ **know**_ **the full truth behind Arsinoë's appearance, so for now he's still trying to piece everything together, just thought you guys should know that before reading this chapter. Your thoughts and opinions on it would be very well recieved, and if you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask :)**

 **Review?**

* * *

I was still slightly out of it when I finally arrived in class. My history teacher gave me an annoyed look when I rudely interrupted him with my entrance but I simply gave him an apologetic shrug and sat down. Like always, I was faced with a bunch of glares from the older kids but I ignored them -Rachel Harrison especially, my self-proclaimed rival. She was always trying to one up me in every single class we had together, shooting me the dirtiest looks when I scored higher than her. She was stunning, popular, kind, and was just a genuinely nice person to literally everyone but me.

Nice.

The teacher prattled on about the Haitian Revolution and before I knew it, class was over. I ran into Lee and Samantha in the hallway, and we walked together until we separated at my next class. Samantha talked in earnest about how she couldn't wait for the weekend, and apparently how it was supposed to be sunny and dry for once. Of course, she and Lee tried to constantly convince me to come but I repeatedly declined.

The rest of the morning passed quickly after that, but I wasn't concentrating on anything except in English. I wondered if that whole morning had been a hallucination _within_ a hallucination, if such things were possible. It was hard to believe that it had been real at all.

Soon it was lunch and like always, Jessica latched onto me as soon as I entered the cafeteria, babbling on and on about her dance plans –Lauren and Angela had asked the other boys and now they were all planning on going together as a group, like I'd suggested. I wasn't really paying too much attention. I noticed that Edward's usual seat was empty. I frowned, and looked away.

I wasn't too hungry -my stomach was flopping nervously, and I bought two peppers and a vitamin water to help settle it.

As soon as I sat down, all eyes turned to me.

"Is that a Jalapeño?" Mike asked, sounding shocked. I blinked, and looked at the bright red vegetable that I was nibbling on.

"Oh, I'm sorry, would you like some?" I asked. Sharing my lunch around the table had become a common occurrence, and I guessed Mike was just surprised I hadn't offered as normal.

"...I don't think that's what he meant..." Angela murmured, sounding amused. I looked at her in confusion.

"How can you eat that? Isn't your tongue on fire?" Ben asked me, and I looked at him weirdly.

"Is it supposed to be?" I asked. I had never really had a problem with pepper, to the point that whenever I cooked, no one else could eat my food because I put so much inside. My answer prompted more horrified looks from the rest of the table.

I offered him my second one. "Here, it's not that hot." He took it, and he and the guys immediately crowded around it, goading each other to take the first bite, much to my amusement.

"Edward Cullen is staring at you again," Jessica sang, looking at me with a suspiciously interested face. "I wonder why he's sitting alone today."

"The amount of attention you pay him is scary." I told her with a laugh, but nonetheless I very casually lifted my head and looked in the direction she was staring at. He was sitting at the other end of the cafeteria at a secluded table very far away from where he usually sat with his siblings. I was surprised, I had thought he wasn't in the room at all. Once he had caught my eye, he raised one hand and motioned with his index finger for me to join him. I leveled him with an unamused stare; I wasn't a dog ready to be summoned by their master. The smirk he sent my way stopped all negative thoughts and made my heart stop for a moment.

"Does he mean you?" Lauren asked, and the amount of disbelief in her voice was almost insulting. I gave her a look before sighing.

"Maybe." I stated for her benefit "I'd better go see what he wants." I said, standing up.

I walked to his table, nibbling on my pepper all the while, and when I got to his table, I stood behind the chair across him, placing the fist clutching my Vitamin Water on my hip.

I raised a brow.

"Yes, your majesty?" I asked voice full of sass.

"Why don't you sit with me today?" He asked, smiling at my tone. Both my eyebrows rose now, but I sat down nonetheless. He still smiled amusement in his eyes.

He watched me all the while, examining me with some foreign expression on his face. I sighed.

"Why the sudden change of seating plan?" I asked, tapping my finger on the cover of my drink.

"Well," Edward paused. "I decided as long as I was going to Hell, I might as well do it thoroughly." He stated, grinning wryly.

"Is hanging out with me that much of a sin?" I asked him, chuckling a bit. He shook his head.

"It's bad enough." He smiled again. "I think your friends are angry at me for stealing you."

I glanced over at my table, where everyone was blatantly staring. When they caught me looking, they all very deliberately looked back to their lunch trays. I couldn't help but laugh at their conspicuousness. "I think they'll survive."

"I may not give you back, though." He told me, a wicked glint in his eyes. My eyes snapped back to his own, and I stopped laughing. "You look worried." He laughed.

"Not really, no." I stated, calmly. "Taken aback, yes. What brought this on?"

"I told you." He began, emphasizing each syllable, adding more emotion. "I got tired of trying to stay away from you. So I'm giving up." He told me, leaning forward and folding his hands. I raised a brow.

"Giving up?"

"Yes. Giving up trying to be good. I'm going to do what I want now," He looked away, no longer smiling, "-and let the chips fall where they may." He finished. I let out a breath of exasperation while shaking my head.

"You just love being cryptic don't you?" I asked, and the breathtaking smile reappeared on his face.

"On the contrary. I always say too much when I'm talking to you. That's one of the problems." He drawled.

"I won't tell anyone." I assured him.

"I'm counting on that." Edward replied. I took a sip of my drink and looked at him curiously.

"Does this mean we're friends now?"

"Friends…" He mused, rolling the word around in his mouth in contemplation. I waited and contented myself in watching his pensive expression which turned into a grin. "Well, we can try, I suppose. But I'm warning you now that I'm not a good friend for you." Behind his casual expression, his eyes were intense and serious, the warning ringing through clearly.

I hummed noncommittally. If there was one thing I knew, it was his continued presence in my life would only bring me problems in the future, and yet still, here I was sitting across from him. "You say that often." I told him, taking another sip of my quickly disappearing drink.

"Yes, because you're not listening to me. I'm still waiting for you to believe it. If you're smart, you'll avoid me." I gave him an incredulous look.

"Need I remind you that you are the one who called me over? And initiated conversation yesterday as well?" I pointed out and his smile grew.

"But you could have ignored me on both occasions." He replied.

"I'm not a generally rude person." Was my reply. He nodded in acquiescence and I looked down at my hands, taking in my dyed nails. Edwards's eyes were drilling into me and I furrowed my brows, it was slightly unsettling. He was just so intense. It felt like he could see right through me. Again, I wondered what his true motives for seeking out my company were. He'd been nothing less than pleasant, but was that him trying to lower my guard in order to get me to reveal my secrets?

"What are you thinking?" He asked finally.

"I'm preparing myself against subterfuge." I answered only half-jokingly.

He let out a startled laugh, "From whom?" He asked in amusement, and I looked at him pointedly.

"You, of course." I informed him, finishing off the last of my drink.

 _A moment of silence to remember the delicious beverage please…_

Edward tilted his head and looked at me thoughtfully, lips quirking in a wry smile. "You think I've called you here to interrogate you?" He asked, though he already knew the answer. I couldn't read his expression properly, it was like he knew something I didn't, and I didn't like it.

"What are your theories?" I asked trying for a disarming smile.

"There's only one theory that fits, really." He declared with a shrug.

"Won't you tell me?" I tried again, but all I got was a look of amusement.

"No."

I found myself frustrated at his silence, but also, mostly entertained. Edward was _very_ intelligent, with decades of experience on his side, it was expected that he'd be a tough but to crack; the challenge he brought to the table was one I couldn't help but feel excited for.

Smiling, I nodded in acceptance, "Alright, keep your speculations to yourself then, " I allowed, "I do have another question though, and I'm hoping that this one at least, you'll answer."

The vampire looked interested, and he answered, "Depends what it is."

For a second, I almost backed out and come up with something else, but it had been bugging me, and I wouldn't feel better until I had my suspicions confirmed. My eyes flashed to where his siblings sat across the table, and then back at Edward in an instant. "They don't know, do they?" I asked finally.

Edward had seen my glace towards his family, and didn't need clarification as to who I referred to. He didn't tense exactly, but it was clear he wasn't as relaxed as before. "No." He answered after a moment, eyes darkening with an unreadable emotion.

" _Why_?" I asked honestly confused. Why hadn't he told his siblings of my knowledge of what they were? Of what he had observed about me? What did he gain by hiding the truth from his own family, a family which I knew was extremely close knit and shared everything with each other?

He hesitated, brows furrowing as if he wasn't quite sure of the reason himself. "Its...safer." He eventually replied.

I didn't need to ask what he meant. Safer for me obviously. If they knew I was already aware of their most guarded secret, they'd be no stopping them if they were intent on keeping me silent -the permanent way.

Still, as much as I appreciated him thinking of my well being, I couldn't understand _why_.

I sighed, rubbing at my temples in an attempt to fend off an impending headache. "You're a very complicated person." I told him wearily, and he let out a surprised huff of amusement.

"I could say the same about you." He retorted.

And then he paused for a moment, "Your boyfriend seems to think I'm being unpleasant to you –he's debating on whether or not to come break out our 'fight'." Edward said, sarcasm heavy on the last word.

"I honestly didn't know I even _had_ a boyfriend. Though, even if I had one, I'm sure you're wrong in your assumption."

"I'm not." He smiled, making me raise an eyebrow. "Like I said, most people are easy to read."

"Me being the exception." I declare knowingly. He nodded, eyes twinkling.

"Yes, you being the exception." He looked deep into my eyes then. "I wonder why that is…"

Probably because my mind was too messed up for normal standards.

"Hey, can you do me a favor?" I asked suddenly, and he tilted his head to the side. It was a habit which I'm sure he wasn't aware of, a completely unnecessary human trait.

"Yes?" He asked and I grinned conspiratorially at him.

"Tell me your theory." I said and he laughed.

"But if I did, and I was correct, you would take the appropriate measures to discredit me, wouldn't you?" He asked, raising a brow pointedly.

"Ah, but chances are you wouldn't be." I declared confidently. Who would guess dimension hopping time traveller on the first try?

Edward laughed as if the mere concept of him being wrong was absurd. "Nonetheless, I won't be sharing my theory, today." He told me.

I pouted "Another time, perhaps?" I tried hopefully. I was interested to know just what he suspected, if it was at least somewhat close to the truth. Of course, I wouldn't tell him directly, not when he too was so close-lipped with his own secrets. Giving up my own with nothing in return would be unfair.

"Perhaps." He said simply.

My eyes shifted to the clock, and I was surprised at how much time had past during our discussion "You're going to be late for class." I warned him.

"You say that as if you're not going." He said and I nodded my head, confirming his assumption.

"I'm not. They're blood typing in class today and-." I winced, "I prefer to avoid blood."

Edward looked curiously amused, "You're afraid of blood?" I suppose I could see why he found it funny, with him being a Vampire.

I shook his head though, because he was wrong. Whenever I saw blood, my mind decided it would be fun to jump to the worst conclusion possible and show me gruesome scenes of massacres and death. For the life of me, I had no idea where it conjured said images from, and neither did any doctors I went to.

"I'm not afraid of blood, I won't faint or anything, I just prefer that it stays _i_ _nside_ the body." Then I grinned, "Besides, skipping class is healthy every once in a while, and I'm in the mood for ice-cream." I said, reaching into my pocket and slipping my gloves back on.

Edward seemed interested. "Well, I wasn't planning on going either." He replied, lips quirking upwards, "We'll skip together then."

And before I could protest, he had already grabbed my hand and was leading me out the cafeteria. "Won't two people be more likely to get caught than just one?" I asked warily.

Edward laughed like the notion was ridiculous. "We won't be caught -we'll be going off campus besides."

This was even more a surprise to me, "We are?" I asked incredulously.

Edward shot me a mischievous glance as we reached the parking lot. "You said you were in the mood for ice-cream, didn't you?"

My mind was reeling, "Well yes but-"

He paused in front if his car, suddenly looking concerned. "Is something wrong?"

I blinked, and then grinned, "No! I'm just surprised is all. This is unexpected."

He seemed relieved. "I'm feeling impulsive today." He answered with a shrug.

I nodded with a smile, "I can see that, yes." This whole situation was entirely unbelievable to me, but I shoved away any feelings of reluctance. Edward wasn't the only one feeling impulsive.

"We're taking your car, then?" I asked, though I got in nonetheless when he opened the door for me.

"Do you have a problem with that?" He asked, when he was firmly situated in the driver's seat.

I shook my head. "Not a problem, it's a nice ride –not as nice as my own, but close." I teased and he scoffed, quickly and efficiently backing out of the parking space (coughspacescough) and onto the highway.

"I doubt your Range Rover can go from zero to sixty in three point five seconds." Edward stated smugly and I rolled my eyes. But he was right about its speed. We were already going a hundred and it had been only seconds since we got on the freeway.

"Sure," I drawled, shaking my head. "Can I hear what's currently in your stereo?" I asked, and he nodded easily, pressing play.

Immediately, Clair de Lune trickled through the speakers

"Oh, Clair de Lune." I uttered in surprise. I suppose I really shouldn't have been, I didn't remember much about the Twilight series as a whole, but I _could_ remember that Edward was a big fan of classical music.

"You know Debussy?" He asked me, glancing over in interest.

"A bit." I answered," I don't listen to him much, but this is my preferred piece by him, along with Prelude A L'Apres-Midi D'Un Faun." I explained,

"I didn't particularly like Prelude A L'Apres-Midi. It was too…bland." He said, wrinkling his nose at the thought. I let out a small laugh at his expression. "I enjoyed Maid with Flaxen Hair better." Edward said. I gave him a look.

"They basically sounded the same." I told him wryly.

Edward seemed horrified. "Compared to Prelude A L'Apres-midi, it was infinitely better. Still, Clair de Lune is my favorite."

I hummed, "Call me cliché but I prefer Beethoven. Any person who can get an Archduke to exempt them from the usual rules of court etiquette is alright in my book." I told him. Edward laughed.

"Really?" He seemed surprised, "You seem more like a Tchaikovsky admirer." I cringed.

"While I do love his Swan Lake composition, his style is too erratic for my tastes." I said. "My father loves him though, so I know most of his classics, and one time when I was fourteen, he made me play him the Second Movement of the Violin Concerto." I told Edward with a fond smile at the memory. Pulling it off had been a trial and a half, with weeks and weeks of preparation, but in the end it had been worth it to see my father's proud smile.

"You play the violin?" He asked, sounding surprised and I nodded.

"Since I was seven." I answered. It had been a suggestion from my therapist. 'Pick up an instrument', she'd said, 'It will calm you down', she'd said.

And while it had, to the point that I'd even enjoyed and excelled at it, I hadn't touched a violin in almost a year, and I didn't think I'd ever be ready to play again for a long time.

"Will you play for me one day?" He asked, sounding hopeful. I chuckled.

"One day." I said simply, but I didn't entirely mean it.

Edward smiled, and I felt slightly guilty. "I'll look forward to it." He said. I gave him a look but didn't say anything. I noticed how empty the highway was, with only three of four other cars scattered between the lanes. Perhaps it was because of the rain, and how slick the roads were with water, but it didn't make sense to me.

"And yours?" I heard Edward ask, breaking me out of my musings. I turned away from the windows to look at him questioningly.

"Hmm?" I asked for clarification. He smiled a bit.

"What is your favorite song?" He asked, sounding curious. I let out a startled laugh.

"I couldn't possibly answer that. It changes everyday." I said honestly, "And even I did tell you, you probably wouldn't know it." I shrugged

"Tell me anyway." He insisted. I gave him a long look, seeing how genuinely interested he seemed before I sighed.

"Pink Matter, by Frank Ocean." I relented. Edward sighed.

"I don't know it." He admitted, and I rolled my eyes good naturedly.

"I told you." I informed him, and then after a moment, I decided to take pity on him. I fished in my pocket for my phone. "Here." I declared, holding up the sleek black object. He looked at it curiously before regarding me with a raised eyebrow.

I silently prayed I wouldn't regret this before saying, "You can keep it for a while. Maybe it might satisfy a little bit of your curiosity." I taunted with a smirk, before giving it to him. He looked at it for a long moment, flipping it backwards and forwards, eyes particularly lingering on the curved glass side, before sliding it into his pocket.

"Thank you." He said, "I'll make sure to return it soon." He told me and I nodded in acceptance.

Even though I was panicking and screaming at the prospect of being separated from my phone for so long.

"Is there anything you don't want me to look at?" He asked and I shook my head. I didn't particularly mind him browsing through my phone. I had nothing to hide.

"You can do whatever you want. I won't mind." I said, noting that we had finally arrived in the notorious boardwalk town. Port Angeles was quaint, and not very busy, since it was off-season. I was grateful for that, I didn't like busy places.

"You're very calm. Aren't you worried I might discover something private?" He asked, slowing down now that we were surrounded by other cars. I gave him a bland look.

"Private? No. Embarrassing, maybe, but nothing very personal. I don't keep particularly incriminating things on electronics. Accidents happen."

And then I remembered something.

"Although, there's a password on it, so I suppose you'll just have to figure that out before you can actually get the chance to use it." I told him with a smirk.

"Is _that_ why you're so willing to hand it over? Because there's a chance I won't be able to unlock it, let alone browse through it?" He asked, sounding amused while parallel parking next to the Port Angeles Ice Cream Parlor. I let out a noncommittal hum.

"No, I'm handing it over because I _know_ you'll be able to figure it out." I answered, before opening the car door and stepping out, enjoying the cool breeze and smell of the ocean.

"You're awfully confident in my abilities." Edward said, though he sounded smug. He held the door open for me as we entered the colorful establishment and I gave him a grateful smile.

"I just figure that if you can at least keep up with me intellectually, something as simple as deciphering all the possible pattern combinations should be child's play." I drawled, walking up to the counter and ignoring the stares of the other patrons. Edward rolled his eyes.

"Most other people would find it quite challenging." He retorted and I leaned against the counter and crossed my arms.

"Then thank goodness you're not like 'most people'." I answered, then I turned to the blond female worker who was gawking quite openly at Edward, her glasses barely hanging onto her nose. I gently coughed to get her attention.

She startled. "Oh!" She exclaimed, face turning crimson with embarrassment. She pushed up her glasses. "Er, hi. What can get you guys?" She asked, looking at him shyly. I noticed her name tag said "Katie."

"One scoop of plain vanilla in a cup, please." He ordered easily, and I was surprised. Why would he go through the effort of ordering when I already knew his secret?

Katie nodded quickly, barely able to meet his eyes before typing in his order into the machine, blushing all the while. I resisted the urge to grin because ugh, the girl was adorable –with her fluffy blond hair and short height and chubby cheeks! She was the type of girl made for hugs, as odd as it sounded.

I quickly composed myself, telling myself _not_ to be free oy. "Two scoops of mint chocolate. Cup, please." And before Edward could do it, because I just _knew_ he would, I whipped out my wallet from my pocket.

Because I'm an independent female, okay, and I could pay for stuff too, thanks.

"Here." He declared, sliding a crisp twenty dollar bill onto the counter, much to my incredulity. Did he not see I had my wallet out?

I glared. "You don't have to." I informed him, showing my displeasure quite clearly. He smiled, almost sending causing all the females in the store to swoon.

"I want to." He said and I sighed before sliding my wallet back into my pocket because Goddammit, I just couldn't resist that smile.

"Fine." I grumbled.

Katie made quick work of our orders and soon we were sitting in a secluded booth by a window, with me eating my ice-cream with a blissful smile on my face.

It was wonderful!

"You never did tell me what exactly your phone was." Edward pointed out, leaning forward with his elbow on the table, chin in his palm and idly twisting and twirling his ice-cream with his spoon .

I paused and looked at him thoughtfully.

"It's just that Edward, a phone. A mobile. A cellphone. Whatever you want to call it." I stressed, hoping he would drop the subject.

He didn't.

Of course.

"I've never seen any like it." He stated, raising an eyebrow. I pursed my lips and frowned.

"You should eat your ice-cream before it melts. We have to head back to Forks soon." I informed him, trying to change the subject. He pointedly lifted up a bit and ate it, and I found my eyes tracking the movement of the spoon to his extremely soft-looking lips…

I quickly looked down to my own icy treat and pretended I hadn't just been imagining what it would be like to kiss him.

He smirked. "Your attempt at changing the subject is futile." He informed me, eating some more ice-cream. He was a good actor, I thought human food tasted unpleasant to Vampires? He didn't even cringe.

"I don't even see why you are so devoted to it." I retorted. Seriously, the guy didn't know when to give up.

"I'm curious." Edward answered with a casual shrug.

"Curiosity killed the cat."

"But satisfaction brought it back."

I rolled me eyes. "It's a Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge." I answered finally. "Are you satisfied?" I asked sarcastically.

Edward raised an eyebrow and shook his head. "No." He answered, grinning cheekily when I scowled at him. "When does it come out?" He asked me.

"Who's to say it hasn't already?"

"I think the whole world would know if it had." He answered dryly.

"Maybe you're just behind in the trends." I teased eating more of my ice-cream.

"Har had." He retorted with an eye roll.

"You could find out so much more if you just told me your theory." I prompted, but all he did was shake his head.

"Not yet, I need to confirm a few things first."

"So then I'm afraid I can't tell you anything freely." I replied with a shrug.

"What, so you know the directors of Samsung personally?" He tried again, voice dripping with sarcasm. Much to his surprise I nodded.

"Yeah actually." I frowned. "Well, my aunt does." I corrected honestly.

"So it's sort of a, prototype? They're experimenting with unknown technology and you're trying it out for them?" He asked, jumping to the obvious conclusion. I shook my head.

"No."

Edward seemed frustrated and I had to hide my amused smile by shoving some more ice-cream into my mouth. He frowned and regarded me carefully with his amber eyes, trying to look for more clues.

"A gift then? They give you new merchandise first?" He tried again and I shook my head.

"Again, that would mean that the phone hasn't been released yet." I replied. Technically, it had, just not in this world.

"You're implying that it has." He said and once again I shook my head.

"I'm not implying anything." I retorted and he sighed and leaned back, watching me with furrowed brows.

"I'm mostly wondering how its possible." He muttered more to himself than to me, and I could only sigh because I'd been wondering the exact same thing for months.

"I'm sure some of your questions will he answered soon enough, at least." I told him, pushing away my now empty cup.

He seemed hopeful. "Will you tell me then?" He asked, but I shook my head.

"No, but you can use the phone." I paused, before adding, "That is, if you manage to unlock it."

"I'll manage." He declared, and then stood, seeing that I was finished. I followed suite, sending a small wave of farewell to Katie and a grateful smile before we exited the establishment, causing the blond haired girl to blush but wave hesitantly back nonetheless.

"I'm sure." I answered finally as he held the passenger door open for me and I rolled my eyes at him before getting in.

* * *

We made it back to school just five minutes before the final bell rang, so the parking lot was still empty of other students. Thanks to Edward's ridiculous driving, we had managed to arrive back in Forks in thirty minutes, despite the fact that the drive from Port Angeles normally took an hour….and a half.

Amazing, truly.

Although I was grateful for it, I suppose, because I could just imagine all the attention we would have received had we arrived together at the end of the school day.

"Thanks for accompanying me, Edward. It was pleasant." I told Edward as I dug through my pocket for my car keys. Finding them, I let out a small sound of triumph and unlocked the dark blue Range Rover which had been sitting patiently for me.

He walked unhurriedly next to me, hands in his pockets and looking for all the world, a normal human male.

He smiled and leaned against the backseat door of my car as I opened the driver's side "It was no problem. Like I said, I was planning on ditching anyway, you just made it more worthwhile." Edward answered with a shrug. I smirked haughtily.

"Well, I'm glad my presence was enjoyable to you." I told him, and he chuckled.

"Have fun at the beach this weekend." He stated and I raised my brow.

Had he been eavesdropping into my conversations again? I doubted it, because if he had, he would have known I had no plans of going.

"I'm not going." I told him with a shrug. He tilted his head in confusion.

"You weren't invited?" He asked, though he sounded skeptical and I shook my head.

"I was, it's just that I don't do well in large boisterous crowds. I wouldn't want to rain on their parade and ruin everyone's day." I answered honestly with a shrug and he nodded in understanding.

"Ah." He answered and I regarded him curiously.

"What are your plans for the weekend?" I asked, because Gods knew that I remembered nothing at all from the books.

"Emmett and I are starting the weekend early, so we won't be here tomorrow." He said, "We're going..." here he hesitated, looking at me contemplatively for a moment, before continuing, "hunting in the Goat Rocks Wilderness –just south of Reiner."

"I have absolutely no idea where that is. Somewhere in the mountains?" I guessed and he laughed.

"Yes. Somewhere in the mountains." He agreed, eyes twinkling with amusement. I snorted and climbed inside the vehicle.

"Have fun then." I told him as he took a few steps away from the car. "And steer clear of the bears, I hear Washington State has them in abundance. Wouldn't want you returning with one less limb or something." I teased and he rolled his eyes.

"I'll try." Edward answered dryly. We both knew very well that any bear wouldn't stand a chance.

I grinned, and with that, started the car, giving him a little wave, and driving away.


	7. Chapter 7

**Happy Halloween all!**

 **This chapter isn't very Halloweenish but nonetheless I hope you guys like it lol.**

 **Um, things to address... Arsinoë being more open than in the original CP, her completely dodging unnecessary supernatural goingons (and that's gonna be a big thing into his fic), and we'll actually start getting into plot more so look forward to that.**

 **Thanks to all who support me, and hope you enjoy this chapter :)**

 **Review?**

* * *

In a moment of pure spontaneousness I'd decided to go to the beach on Saturday, despite all my previous refusals. I hadn't planned on it, as with most things that involved me. My plan was actually for me to get started on a new training regime with Nina and get started on it, tai chi apparently, to 'balance out my energies'. And she was all for it too. But when I woke up Saturday morning, got dressed in a pair of combat print khaki shorts and a black T-shirt, sneakers at the ready, she didn't do anything to stop me.

I wasn't surprised at my sudden mood switch, and really, neither was she.

The previous day –Friday, was a pretty boring day too. Nothing really happened aside from a few suspicious looks I received from Jasper in class. Honestly, it was freaked me out because I couldn't tell what he was thinking. I did my best to ignore him, but even during lunch, I could feel his eyes on me.

Had he found out the truth? Was he thinking of ways to off me since his brother was absent?

The prospect was enough to sufficiently freak me out, because what was there to stop him if he was resolute in said decision?

Jessica of course was curious about my little 'lunch date' with Edward Cullen and she inquired about it at lunch, with Samantha Angela and another girl -Susan, I think-, all listening intently.

"What did Edward Cullen want yesterday?" Jessica had asked, whilst I was being needlessly sadistic with some chicken on my plate. I looked up halfheartedly and shrugged.

"I don't know. He didn't really say."

"You looked kinda mad…"She pointed out, eager to get some juicy gossip to spread around the school.

"Oh, did I?" I asked vaguely. Jessica was visibly frustrated with my response so she huffed and changed the subject, trying from a different angle.

"I've never seen him sit with anyone other than his family before. That was weird." The blond stated. I nodded.

"Mhmm…" Was my halfhearted reply, before I shoved the brutally mutilated pieces of chicken in my mouth.

Really, other than that, Friday was pretty boring.

"Where're you headed off to this early?" Aunty Zaho asked when I saw her in the guest room arranging the pillows to look like they were in disarray, but in an organized way. Don't ask me how that was possible, she managed it somehow.

"A couple of friends from school invited me to go to the beach with them, and I'm going." I said, shrugging and leaning on the threshold of the door.

"I thought you had no friends. And you hate crowds." She deadpanned, pausing in her actions to give me a look.

I pouted. "I have friends," I mumbled woundedly, "And I'm in the mood to _do_ something. I'm restless, and there's nothing to do here."

"Say's you." She retorted, fluffing a pillow. "A package arrived for you this morning. It's quite a big box actually, but not too heavy. It seemed pretty interesting to me." She said and I wondered who would send me a package. My parents perhaps?

"I'll check it out when I get back. Anyway, I'm off, 'else I'll miss the rendezvous point. See you." I said turning to leave but just before I could get out the door she called out to me again.

"By the way Arsinoë, we've got a wedding in two weeks." She said nonchalantly, though she had a mischievous look in her eyes. I gave her a wary look, instantly suspicious. She was looking far too amused.

"Oh?" I asked, raising an eyebrow. "And who might it be?" Aunty Zaho shrugged and fixed the silver fur throw at the end of the bed.

"Anat." She declared, and I had to physically hold keep my jaw from falling off. Nope, didn't work. I gawked in disbelief.

 _"Zehira, inty bit-harragy?_ " I asked, momentarily forgetting how to speak English and reverting to Arabic. My aunt gave me a look of disapproval.

"Don't call me by my full name, and no, I can assure you, I'm not joking." She said, sitting on the immaculately made bed.

"Who'd want to marry _her_?" I asked in disbelief. Okay, that was a stupid question. Anat was my elder sister my -cousin actually- very beautiful sister actually. That girl was perfect in every way, with her long perfectly curly light purple hair which constantly looked like she should be the cover girl for Pantene, a body which would make any supermodel cry and a face which looked like it was carved by angels. Long eyelashes, big catlike green eyes, the whole package. Unfortunately we'd had a falling out six months previous, and hurtful words were exchanged, words which had particularly affected me and plunged me into a very...fragile state. Despite the fact that I was recovering, I still couldn't bring myself to forgive her.

My mother was enamored with her however, and they were _always_ together. Anat was the standard she expected me to live up to, graceful, ladylike, charming.

I mean, I could be all those things too when I _had_ to be, but she took it to a whole new level. Not to mention how annoyingly talented she was. She always made everything a competition between us, then it became some type of rivalry, who could play the better instrument –She played Piano-, who could do the better traditional ceremony, who got the better grades (I always won at that one easy, no matter how hard she tried.) and really, it got tedious.

I blamed my mother though; it was her fault for always comparing us since we were kids -as soon as I got out the hospital they were on me. ' _Strive to be like Anat, Arsinoë, you can live a normal life if you try hard enough!'_ She'd say. ' _Don't give up! Be more like your sister!_ she'd say.

My aunt spoke, snapping me out of my bitter recollections, "Apparently, some rich Count from Italy does. We got the invite this morning; it's on the table if you want to see it. A very beautiful box filled with sand and crystals and other little trinkets. It's quite a lovely idea for an invitation actually. The wedding is actually taking place in Thailand." Oh, this just kept on getting better and better.

"Welp, good for her then." I said dully.

"Oh don't be so sulky, Arsinoë." My aunt said, finishing up her work and leveling me with a look of disapproval. "She's twenty-three years old, and if she wants to get married, then I say she can. With all she's lost, she deserves a little happiness. Put aside your jealousy and maybe even pay her a call of congratulations!"

I sighed, not even willing to argue. "Aye, Aye Captain." I saluted before leaving.

My Aunt was right, loathe I was to admit it. Anat _had_ suffered as well, losing both her parents while she was still young. I was being petty by not being happy for her. For all her faults, she really was a sister to me and I could at least put aside our differences for a little while.

I'd pay her a call in the evening when I got home.

It was sunny, blindingly so, to the point where I had to actually wear sunglasses in order to drive properly. I was actually quite happy about it, because I hadn't yet had a chance to wear them since my 'arrival' in Forks and I had forgotten how good my Ray Bans were. They were black and had gold on the sides and I couldn't help but feel so awesomely cool when I wore them.

The Newtons' Olympic Outfitters store was just north of town and I'd passed it a couple of times a couple of times in the past. I'd always told myself I would enter for some hiking gear, but I'd never really gotten the chance. Okay, so that was a lie, I'd had plenty of chances but I'd always put it off for "Next time". In the parking lot, I recognized Mike's Suburban and Tyler's Senatra. As I pulled up next to their vehicles, I could see the rest of the group standing in front of the Suburban. Eric was there, along with Conner and Ben. Angela was there, flanked by Jessica and Lauren and Susan who I'd accidentally -purposely- kicked in the shin in Gym the other day when she gave me a dirty look. She saw my car first and glared before turning and whispering something to Lauren who also sneered. I parked and got out the car, greeted by many surprised looks.

"Noë! You came!" Mike called enthusiastically and I gave him a genuine smile. It was nice for someone to actually want to see me. In my happiness I gave him a high-five, along with the other guys and beamed.

"Yeah, dude. I figured that it would be a waste not to!" I said, and his smile widened.

"And I told you it would be sunny didn't I?" He asked, draping an arm over my shoulder and gesturing to the sun and poking my sun glasses. "You look good in those." He complimented and I noticed Jessica giving me a _look_.

"Thanks." I said with a small smile, casually extracting myself from his hold in favor of leaning on Eric. Jessica nodded approvingly.

"We're waiting on Lee and Samantha –unless you invited someone?" He said lowly and I saw some eyes flicker towards me, obviously expecting me to have invited Edward.

"Nah, just me." I answered with a shrug. Mike looked happy.

"Will you ride with me? It's that or Lee's mom's Minivan." He offered and I shook my head.

"Actually, how about I just take my car? I can give someone a ride if they want. There's a lot of people and it's quite hot. I don't think we want to be squashed up together." I offered and Mike looked slightly disappointed, but even he saw it was a good idea. No one wanted to be stuck together with sweaty bodies all around for half an hour.

"Sure, good idea." He agreed, "Anyone wanna ride with Noë?" He asked the group and the guys shook their heads.

"Nah, we're riding with Lee, he just got the new Fall Out Boy CD and we wanna listen to it." Eric said, Ben amd Conner nodding in agreement, and Lauren just scoffed.

"As if." She spat and I rolled my eyes, before turning to Angela.

"Wanna ride with me, Ange?" I offered and she smiled and nodded, stepping forward and we linked arms.

"That would be great." She said and I beamed at her Angela was someone I got along well with, and sometimes we even hung out outside of school. She was quiet and trustworthy, and yet was a great conversationalist and could be awfully funny when she wanted to. She had a dry sense of humour I could appreciate.

Lee and Samantha arrived soon after that and before I knew it, we were all on our way to La Push. I made pleasant conversation with Angela and we rolled down the windows and agreed on how it was such a nice day. Also, the road to La Push was lovely; the forest was lush and beautiful as it lined the sides of the road with the sparkling Quillayute snaking beneath it twice. Once again I was reminded how lovely this place was, and how natural it all was. It made me wonder how Bella could ever hate it here.

I went to the beach often in my 'world'; mostly because I lived a five minute walking distance from it but even I had to admit the beach in La Push was quite different from the one in Dublin.

The water was dark blue, even in the sunlight, white-capped and heaving to the grey rocky shore. Islands rose in the distance with sharp cliff sides reaching to uneven peaks that were crowned with tall firs. The beach only had a thin border of actual sand and it was more gravel than the fine soft grains I was used to back home. Mostly, it was millions of stones, which came in many different shapes, sizes and colors and I vowed to collect some, along with numerous seashells that lined the beach. The tide line was strewn with dead driftwood, bone white from the salt and all piled together against the edge of the forest, just out of reach from the hungry waves.

The wind which blew in our direction smelled nice, like saltwater and seaweed, along with the tangy smell that always screamed "Ocean!" which I always suspected to be fish. Pelicans and Seagulls flew in swarms, occasionally descending to try their luck in finding lunch. It was nice in its own way, and I liked the calm feeling of it.

We made our way down the beach, and I watched in amusement as Lauren, Jessica, and Susan squealed every time their foot slipped out their sandal and touched the wet sand and occasional bunch of seaweed. Honestly, if you wore flops to beach, you'd have to take them off eventually, 'else they'll cut from the heavy weight of sand. I was happy to see that like me; Angela was dressed practically, wearing sneakers, yellow capris and a light blue floral print t-shirt.

Eric and Ben gathered a few sticks and twigs from the drier piles of the forest's edge and soon there was a teepee shaped pile in the center of the wood ring.

"Have you ever seen a driftwood fire?" Mike asked me, eyes twinkling in anticipation. I nodded and smiled at him.

"Yeah, I've always loved the different colors the salt causes. It's really beautiful. My best friend and I would dance around them when the tide was low and pretend we were summoning nature spirits." I said, laughing as I recalled Lucianna's and I's crazy antics. Mike laughed loudly and bent down with lighter to light a twig in the middle of the pile.

"I would have loved to see that." He said and we watched in amazed silence as the flames started to grow and spread to the other pieces of wood. It was beautiful to watch, and I smiled, I'd forgotten how stunning they were to actually experience.

"I missed driftwood fires." I breathed and Mike nodded from next to me. I watched as the flames turned every blue imaginable along with greens and purples mixed in too.

"Pretty isn't it?" He asked and I nodded. He took another stick and lit it where the flames had not reached before sitting on the log beside me. Jessica sat next to him immediately and quickly grabbed his attention. I sat watching the blue-green flames for a while, thinking how it would be awesome if Lucy could be here with me. I really did miss her.

After half an hour of chatter, the boys decided they wanted to check out the tide pools. Samantha, Angela and I eagerly jumped up to join them - hiking and exploring were activities I genuinely loved.

Also, Lauren reinforced my decision by staying behind on the claim that she hadn't worn the right shoes.

The hike didn't take long, but I loved it anyway; the forest was beautiful and I took a bunch of photos along with the group, and photobombed quite a few as well, we had fun.

We eventually broke through the foliage and onto the rocky shore. It was low tide and the tidal rivers flowed past us into the sea, along its pebbled banks the pools were brimming with life.

I was very reckless in my exploration of the pools, jumping across the small ones and hopping from rocks and leaning over the edge. It was nice seeing all the bouquets of brilliant anemones swing and sway leisurely like they had not a care in the world and were high on Weed and were speaking to each other like " _Dude…You need to chill….And be cool man…Just Chill~"_ and then I almost killed myself by laughing too hard and almost falling off the edge. The others asked what was so funny and when I told them that "Hey, don't the anemones look kinda like they're high?", they agreed and we all laughed together about the Hippie Anemones, swaying together and talking like we were stoned. Another great thing that happened was that Angela had actually brought two glass jars and had given me one of them so we could pick some shells and interesting looking rocks. I didn't fill mine up immediately, because here were others at the beach and left it about halfway.

Finally, we all got hungry and we made our way back loudly joking around and shoving each other and daring each other to climb up trees or jump off that big rock into that pile of leaves over there.

When we got back, unexpectedly, the group we had left had multiplied and my good mood promptly plummeted and died a horrible, brutal death when I saw the new comers.

They were hard to miss, with their deep golden and tan skin, long silky black hair and most of all, tall and buff bodies. I'd completely forgotten about the Wolves.

I ignored them and tried hard not to draw attention to myself, though, of course it didn't work with my hair and all. I received quite a few stares because of it actually, but I ignored them. I already had enough drama in my life, I didn't need more.

The food was passed around and the boys literally almost killed each other to get some while Eric introduced us all. Angela and I were the last ones to arrive, and when Eric said our names, I noticed the one I assumed to be Jacob give me a look of interest.

I prayed to which ever God that was listening that he'd pay me no mind.

Sadly that didn't work and I felt his eyes on me the whole time I was eating with Angela. Still, I pretended I didn't notice.

Someone was playing some music and it also helped my mood. It was relaxing sitting with Angela, and we found ourselves bonding over stories from our many travels. I had found out that since her father was a priest, they did missionary trips a lot and she had been to many different countries, Egypt and Korea included. It was nice to talk about my home, and my had-been home and I also found out that she could speak a little bit of Korean. People eventually drifted off into smaller groups, Angela as well. I didn't go with her though, she was with Ben and I didn't want to intrude. Minutes after Angela got up to leave, Jacob was in her place.

He looked like a fifteen year old teenager, with his still chubby cheeks, bright smile and long black hair which I was envious of. His skin was beautiful as well, silky and russet colored, and his cheek bones were even higher than mine as well, and I wondered if it was even possible for him to ever look angry. It was surprising that this boyish, happy boy next to me would grow into a constantly angry, buff werewolf in a little less than a couple of months.

"You're Arsinoë Zeidan aren't you?" He asked, smiling. I nodded.

"Mhmm…That's me." I answered, forcing a smile onto my face. He seemed like a genuinely nice guy, and I didn't want to be mean.

"I'm Jacob Black. I stay here down at the Rez." He said, holding out his calloused hand. I shook it and was surprised at how warm it was, and yet he wasn't even a wolf.

"Nice to meet you. You have such nice hair by the way. I wish mine were like it." I said. I figured it would be good to start with a compliment.

On another note, why did these guys all have such nice hair?

"Hah, it's hard to take care of. I'm going to cut it soon." I looked at him in mock horror.

"Rapunzel! Never cut your long tresses!" I said jokingly and he laughed.

"Har har. But seriously, it's _really_ annoying." He grumbled, fingering the dark strands that had fallen over his shoulder.

"Why not braid it then? Mine's a bush when its not braided." I said, gesturing to the French braid falling down my back.

Jacob seemed to be considering it. "Maybe. Some guys I know do it." He said, scratching his chin pensively and I shrugged.

"It's easier to take care of that way. Anyway, how old are you?" I asked, changing the topic. He grinned at me.

"Just turned fifteen." He said sounding smug.

"Oh, you're a pretty big boy now aren't you?" I said laughing and he joined in too.

"Yeah, I guess so. How old are you? What, eighteen? You're pretty tall for a girl." He asked curiously.

"What's that supposed to mean?" I asked, raising an eyebrow. "I'm Five-seven, and I'm seventeen." I answered.

"You know Noë, Jacob?" Lauren all but demanded. I frowned. Jacob seemed to also notice the malice in her voice and looked surprised.

"Oh yeah, Lauren." I drawled, "Just sharing some deep meaningful conversation." I said, winking at the boy next to me. Jacob grinned a little, and Lauren sneered.

"How nice." It sounded like she didn't think so at all and her cold eyes narrowed, mine meeting them defiantly. "Noë, I was just saying to Tyler here that it was too bad that none of the Cullens could come out today. Didn't anyone think to invite them?" Her expression of concern was unconvincing and I laughed.

"Oh no, nothing like that," I answered waving a hand airily, "I just didn't want to condemn them to your abysmal company, Lauren." I retorted in a kind voice. Next to me, Jacob snorted.

Her mouth flapped like a fish, but just as she was about to no doubt shriek her reply, Sam spoke. "You mean Doctor Cullen's family?" He asked, interrupting her. Lauren seemed irritated but reluctantly turned her attention to him as well.

"Yes, do you know them?" She asked condescendingly, turning towards him and somehow managing to look down her nose at him, which was quite a feat, considering that he was standing over her and he was huge.

"The Cullens don't come here." He said in a tone which clearly said the topic was closed before turning away and continuing his conversation with who I assumed to be Jared. Lauren huffed angrily before turning her attention back to Tyler.

I didn't ask Jacob why. I didn't address Sam's hostility. I didn't mention anything at all that potentially involved the supernatural.

Instead, we spent the rest of the afternoon chatting about _normal_ things -like how he was a self-made mechanic, and how he wanted to open an actual shop and build his own car, just like how he was currently doing with a VW Rabbit. We threw around potential brand names that he could call it, and laughed at the really absurd ones, and overall had a good time being _normal_.

I already had to deal with a Vampire, l didn't need a shapeshifter too.

Jacob was great, and he reminded me of my older brother so much that I felt my heart pang whenever he did something similar, like laughed or grinned in the same way.

Eventually though, it was time to head back home and with a farewell to Jacob and a promise to come and visit when I had time, I took off. This time I was alone though, because Angela was hitching a ride with Jess and the others so it was just me and my jar of souvenirs. It was lightly drizzling on my way home, and the soft tones of Daniel Caesar only added to the chill atmosphere.

I'd had a great time, more fun than I'd expected, and in the end I was glad I didn't back out like I'd originally intended.

* * *

When I got home, it was a little later than maybe six in the evening and I wandered into the kitchen, hungry and eager for a proper meal. I found Nina sitting at the island, reading a cookbook and she smiled when I entered.

"Well, did you have fun?" She asked, getting up and already heading to the fridge to make me something. I nodded and sat down on one of the tall stools.

"Yep yep. We took a hike and made a bonfire and imitated sea life. It was really nice." I said as I watched her heat up a plate of Pasta in the microwave.

"That's nice. I'm glad you enjoyed yourself." She said, blue eyes twinkling. "Zehira is in the sitting room by the way. And your package is on the bed." She told me, taking out the food at the beep and setting it down before me. I was assaulted by the heavenly smell of basil, and many other spices.

"Thanks. It looks delicious." I said, digging in as soon as she gave me the Fork (I still couldn't get over the joke…Fork…Forks) and it was just as delicious as it smelled. I finished quickly, washed my plate, and went to the lounge to greet my Aunt, who I found watching The Devil Wears Prada, one of my favourite movies -how I loved Miranda with her signature phrase of "That's all."

That woman was my hero.

"Hey." I said, plopping down on the comfy cream leather couch next to her. She smiled and turned to me, before plucking a leaf out of my hair.

"Looks like you had fun. How was it?" She asked and I lay my head on her shoulder.

"It was surprisingly great. We went hiking, made a bonfire, told scary stories and I brought home some seashells." I told her, watching as Anne Hathaway was introduced to her boss for the first time. As in, Miranda dropping her coat on the desk before leaving without a glance.

"Good, I'm happy you had fun. Will you show me your souvenirs?" She asked, eyebrow raised. I nodded.

"Yeah but I'm too lazy. Imma just watch this with you." I said, kicking off my sneakers and placing my legs on the couch.

"Well, you're welcome to join me." She invited smiling.

"Oh, wait though; I still have that package I haven't opened. Lemme go see what it is, I'll come back." I said before getting up quickly, grabbing my shoes and running up the stairs to my bedroom.

Note to self though; Don't try running up tile stairs in socks again.

As soon as I entered the room I saw the wrapped package (it had dancing teddy bears) sitting on my white embroidered comforter and eagerly ripped it open.

Only to gawk in surprise and disbelief.

Sitting there, in all its Red glory, was my limited Edition Nintendo Wii which had come out for Mario's anniversary, and I could tell that it was mine because the box was worn from constantly being moved. When I moved it, I saw that under it, was another box, much the same size, and when I opened it, I saw that my black Wii U was in there too along with all the accessories, the Fitness board, my four remotes, everything. Not to mention my numerous collection of games as well. Then a pink note with very familiar handwriting caught my attention and I picked it up, almost crying when I read the words.

 _Best prepare yourself for that rematch you owe me, cause next time I won't lose!_

 _Lots of uncensored, unadulterated love, as well as kisses and hugs and punches and all that shit,_

 _See you soon!_

 _Lucianna :)_

I sniffled and pressed the piece of paper to my nose, breathing in the vanilla smell she normally scented her letters in. She had a _thing_ for handwritten exchanges, and always took delight in sending them. I sighed sadly.

Oh Lucy, how I've missed you.


End file.
